Luke § 5

He has rightly added the name of the governor, to mark the course of time. For if the names of the Consuls are affixed to the tables of prices, how much more ought the time to be noted down, of that event which was the redemption of all men?

There is described a secular registration, implied a spiritual, to be laid before the King not of earth but of Heaven; a registering of faith: a census of souls. For the old census of the Synagogue was abolished, a new census of the Church was preparing. And to decide that the census was not of Augustus, but of Christ, the whole world is ordered to be registered. For who could demand the registration of the whole world but He who had dominion over it, for the earth is not of Augustus, but the earth is the Lord's? (Ps. 24:1.)

This was then the first public enrolment of souls to the Lord, to Whom all enrol themselves not at the voice of the crier, but of the Prophet, who says, O clap your hands, all ye people. (Ps. 47:1.)

(Metaphrastes et Alexander ander Monachus.) Christ is born also at a time when the princes of Judah had failed, and the kingdom was transferred to Roman governors, to whom the Jews paid tribute; and then was fulfilled the prophecy, saying, There shall not fail a leader from Judah, nor a prince from between his feet, until he shall come who is to be sent. (Gen. 49:10.) And now when Cæsar Augustus was in the 42d year of his reign, there went forth an edict from him that all the world should be taxed for the payment of tribute, the management of which he committed to a certain Cyrinus, whom he made governor of Judæa and Syria; and so it follows, This taxing was first made, &c.

Now it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. The Son of God, about to be born in the flesh, chose for Himself His parents as He willed, and the place of His birth as He willed, and brought them to that place before He was born as He willed. Thus, also, at the time which He willed, indeed, which He, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, had decreed from ages, and had foretold through the mouths of the prophets, He entered the world to save it. For, just as He was born of a virgin mother, demonstrating that the glory of virginity and the angelic honor of purity was most pleasing to Him, so also, born at the most peaceful time of the world, He showed that He sought and loved peace greatly. He indicated that He would always deign to visit the followers of peace and love. Concerning this, He Himself promised to the faithful, saying: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. XVIII). For what greater sign of the most perfect kingdom, and the most beautiful, as far as men are concerned, could there be of peace than that the whole world is encompassed by a single census, and that all the farthest reaches of the world are comprehended in the same monetary declaration? Whose author and ruler, Augustus, according to the faith of histories, reigned in peace for twelve years around the time of the Lord's birth, so that, with both foreign and civil wars being quieted throughout the whole world, he may be seen to have fulfilled even to the letter the spiritual prophecy of the prophet. The prophet indeed proclaimed with mystical voice the dispensation of Christ, saying: And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it (Micah IV). Shortly after, he also took care to describe the state of that most sacred time: And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord (Ibid.). Not only did this new census of the world testify to the advent of that supreme king who would enroll His chosen ones, gathered from all directions of the world, in the book of eternal happiness, but it also aided the leaders of his kingdom with the peace of his governance. For surely, with the nations subdued by the storm of wars, the shadow (so to speak) of the Roman name, terrible at that time, protected the disciples of Christ, who were to preach to the world, from the fervor of arising seditions wherever they might wish to go for the sake of the word. Therefore, the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled, for the decree of Christ the King was impending, by which all the world would attain salvation. He who fulfilled the name of Augustus most perfectly, desiring his own to grow and himself sufficient to increase them, commanded that the censors sign those subject to his expedition not with the removal of money, but with the offering of faith. Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark XVI).

He chose a time of utmost peace as the time when he would be born because this was the reason for his being born in the world, that he might lead the human race back to the gifts of heavenly peace. And, indeed it is written: "For he is our peace, who has made us both one," that is, he who as a kind mediator and reconciler has made one house of God of angels and humanity. Jesus was born in a time of peace, so that even by the circumstance of the time he might teach that he was the very one of whom the prophecy sent before him spoke: "His sovereignty will be multiplied, and there will be no end of peace."

But this enrollment of the whole world that is recalled as having been done by an earthly king also clearly designates the works of the heavenly king. Undoubtedly the reason he appeared in the world was so that from all the countries throughout the world he might gather the elect into the unity of his faith, just as he himself promised that he would write down their names forever in heaven. Also, the fact that all were going, in response to the edict of Augustus, each to report to his own city, signifies what we must do spiritually as a service to our king. Indeed, our city is the holy church, which in part already reigns with the Lord in heaven. And after the end of this age the whole church will reign in a perfected state with him forever. We must all, then, go into this city, and there must be no excuse from such a salutary journey. We must pay the census [tax] which is due to the king who has been born—that is, we must comply with divine commands in the unity of the church now present and hasten by the tireless course of good works to our entry into the heavenly fatherland.

The Son of God, about to be born in the flesh, as by His birth of a virgin He showed that the grace of virginity was most pleasing in His sight, is therefore begotten in the most peaceful time of the world, because He taught men to seek peace, and condescends to visit those who follow it. But there could be no greater sign of peace than for the whole world to be brought together under one taxing, while its ruler Augustus reigned with so great peace for the twelve years, about the time of our Lord's nativity, that war having been quelled throughout the whole world, there seemed to be a literal fulfilment of the Prophet's prediction, They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, &c.

And He most perfectly fulfilled what the name Augustus signifies, in that He was both desirous and able to increase (augere) His own.

Now the fitting time for Christ's nativity was the time of the enrollment of the universal empire, "because, as Gregory says, he was coming in the flesh who would enroll his elect in eternity." In this enrollment of the universal empire, a threefold excellence is noted, namely of power in commanding, of wisdom in discerning, and of justice in executing, since these three things were to be in Christ, according to that passage in Jeremiah twenty-three: "Behold, the days come, says the Lord, and I will raise up to David a just branch, and a king shall reign," behold, power; "and he shall be wise," behold, wisdom; "and he shall execute judgment and justice," behold, justice, so that there might be in him perfection in every way.

As for the excellence of power in commanding he says: A decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This Caesar Augustus was by his proper name Octavian, but was surnamed Caesar from Julius Caesar, who ruled before him, from whom all Roman emperors were afterward called caesars. He was also called Augustus, because he enlarged the republic; and from him all others are always called Augusti. And he issued a universal decree, because he held universal dominion, not over each and every individual, but over the principal parts of the world; whence his empire was great, according to that passage of Daniel 2: "And the fourth kingdom shall be as iron. As iron crushes and subdues all things, so shall it crush and shatter all these things." This was the Roman empire, which was designated by the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, of whom Jeremiah 27 says: "I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, and all nations shall serve him. The nation and kingdom that will not serve Nebuchadnezzar, I will visit upon that nation, says the Lord." In those days, namely of this kingdom, was the time of Christ's coming, because it is said in Daniel 2: "In the days of those kingdoms the Lord will raise up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered to another people." And to him alone belongs the full enrollment of the world, according to that passage of the Psalm: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein." And therefore it is said in Apocalypse 19 that "he had on his garment and on his thigh written: King of kings and Lord of lords"; because, as it is said in Ecclesiastes 5, "one higher than the high watches over them, and there are yet higher ones above these."

Christ therefore was born in Bethlehem at the time when Augustus Caesar gave orders that the first enrolment should be made. But what necessity was there, some one may perhaps say, for the very wise Evangelist to make special mention of this? Yes, I answer: it was both useful and necessary for him to mark the period when our Saviour was born: for it was said by the voice of the Patriarch: "The head shall not depart from Judah, nor a governor from his thighs until He come, for Whom it is laid up: and He is the expectation of the Gentiles." That we therefore might learn that the Israelites had then no king of the tribe of David, and that their own native governors had failed, with good reason he makes mention of the decrees of Caesar, as now having beneath his sceptre Judaea as well as the rest of the nations: for it was as their ruler that he commanded the census to be made.

It was the forty second year of the reign of Augustus and twenty-eight years after the oppression of Egypt and the death of Antony and Cleopatra when Jesus was born in Bethlehem according to the prophecies concerning him. Flavius Josephus mentions this census in the time of Quirinius, adding another account about the sect of Galileans that arose at about the same time. Luke, among our writers, mentions this sect in Acts, saying, "After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew some people after him. He also perished, and all who followed him were scattered."

What does it mean that the world is enrolled when the Lord is about to be born, except that this is openly shown: that he was coming in the flesh who would enroll his elect in eternity? Concerning the reprobate, by contrast, it is said through the Prophet: Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the just.

(Hom. 8. in Ev.) But the registering of the whole world when our Lord was about to be born was mystical; for He appeared in the flesh Who should write down the names of His own elect in eternity.

When Augustus reigned alone upon earth, the many kingdoms of humankind came to end; and when you were made man of the pure Virgin, the many gods of idolatry were destroyed. The cities of the world passed under one single rule; and the nations came to believe in one sovereign Godhead. The peoples were enrolled by the decree of Caesar; and we, the faithful, were enrolled in the name of the Godhead, when you, our God, were made man. Great is your mercy: glory to you! Stichera of the Nativity of the Lord.

(in diem natal. Christi.) It was the Lord who directed Augustus to give this edict, that he might minister unto the coming of the Only-begotten; for it was this edict that brought Christ's mother into her country as the prophets had foretold, namely, to Bethlehem of Judæa, according to the word, to a city of David, which is called Bethlehem.

To those who attentively consider it, there seems to be expressed a kind of sacrament, in its being necessary that Christ should be put down in the registration of the whole world; in order that His name being written with all, He might sanctify all, and being placed in the census with the whole world, He might impart to the world the communion of Himself.

For He was from the native soil of Bethlehem, and from the house of David; as, among the Romans, Mary is described in the census, of whom is born Christ.

"Away," says he, "with that eternal plaguey taxing of Caesar, and the scanty inn, and the squalid swaddling-clothes, and the hard stable. We do not care a jot for that multitude of the heavenly host which praised their Lord at night.

The census takes place so that, when everyone goes to his own homeland, the Virgin also came to Bethlehem, her own homeland, and thus the Lord was born in Bethlehem, and the prophecy was fulfilled. When the one God was about to put an end to polytheism, it was fitting that one ruler — Caesar — should also hold dominion.

Because it was fit also that at Christ's coming the worship of many Gods should cease, and one God only be worshipped, one king is described as ruling the world.

This first census was made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own city. This census taken during the time of Cyrenius is also mentioned by the illustrious Hebrew historian Josephus, in the eighteenth book of Antiquities, as follows: "Cyrenius, a man who through the consent of the Roman Senate ascended through various magistracies to the rank of consul, distinguished in other respects, came to Syria with a few companions, sent by Caesar to give law to the nations and also to be the censor of patrimonies." Therefore, the phrase: "This first census was made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria," indicates that this census was either the first of those which encompassed the entire world, because many parts of the lands are often recorded to have been described, or certainly the first it began then, when Cyrenius was sent to Syria. And as then, under the reign of Augustus and governance of Cyrenius, everyone went to be enrolled, each to his own city, so now under the rule of the Church presiders, that is, the teachers, indeed persuaded and promised rewards by Christ, let us all go, no one being excluded from the census of justice. Let us come to Him, who toil and burdened, and He will give us rest. Let us take His yoke upon us, and learn from Him for He is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest for our souls (Matt. XI). For this is our city and fatherland, namely the blessed and heavenly rest of souls, to which we were created by God Christ at the beginning of this nascent age, and to which we have been re-created by the man Christ at the end of the ages. To which, indeed, the city of peace and quietness we strive to go and offer treasures to our King, growing daily in the progress of virtue and faith, to behold the eternal joys of the heavenly light, and to despise both the prosperous and adverse things of the world for acquiring these, and having acquired them, to offer to God as a precious gift, cleansed from all defilement of flesh and Spirit (II Cor. VII). But if we more diligently inspect the type of coin that was paid to Caesar, we will also prove ourselves not lacking in devotion to purify it, which we can better search for and find from the Gospel itself, where, being tested about rendering tribute to Caesar, the Lord said: Show me the coin for the tribute. And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They said to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Luke XX). First, it must be noted that the denarius, which had ten coins, was paid to Caesar, titled with his image and inscription, which is even evident from the name. Next, it must be inferred that, by the Lord's command, things that are Caesar's should be rendered to Caesar, and things that are God's to God, diligently showing us also that we must offer to God our King the decalogue of the law in the likeness of the royal denarius, that is, with an entire heart to keep the love of God and neighbor, of which one, perceived by three, encompasses the other seven. In this sacred denarius of Scripture, marked with the ten heavenly commandments like gold coins, whoever knows to gaze upon the face and name of the eternal King, that is, the recognition of the divine will, will find it. Whatever one perfectly believes, hopes for, loves in the tablets of one's heart, is inscribed by the pen of diligent correction. And we carry this denarius with us, as if closed in a purse on the way, knowing how to say with the Psalmist: The light of your face is signed upon us, O Lord, you have given gladness in my heart (Psalm IV), yet we preserve that seal of faith and joy of hope and charity in our hidden meditation of conscience stored with God as witness. But arriving in the homeland to our King whose vision we thirst for, to behold him in his beauty with all the effort of virtue and the entire intention of the mind, we hasten to bring forth the good gifts of our good conversation, which were hidden on earth and shall be crowned in heaven, when what we said in the dark shall be spoken in the light, and what we spoke in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed on the housetops (Matt. X).

St. Luke points out, that this taxing was either the first of those which comprehended the whole world, for before this very many parts of the earth are often mentioned as having been taxed; or first began at that time when Cyrinus was sent into Syria.

As for the excellence of wisdom in discerning he adds: This first enrollment was made by the governor of Syria, Cyrinus: because this was, as Ambrose says, the first general enrollment, which was begun by Cyrinus; or: first made, that is, first begun, according to Bede, by him who governed in Syria, which is the navel of the habitable world; and thus the said enrollment was carried out distinctly and in good order, and these are two marks of wisdom in a ruler, according to what is said of Solomon in 3 Kings 10: "When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the dwellings of his servants and the orders of his ministers, she had no more spirit in her." Now this enrollment was made not out of vanity, as was that of David in 2 Kings, last chapter, on account of which the people were struck, but for the utility of the empire, that the amount of tribute might be known, and this pertains to discretion, not to pride: Ecclesiasticus 42: "Where there are many hands, lock up; and whatever you hand over, count and weigh; and record everything given and received." But it does not belong to just any individual king to enroll tributes, but to the newborn Christ; whence the Psalm: "And in your book all shall be written; days shall be formed, and no one in them."

As at that time in the reign of Augustus and under the governorship of Cyrinus, every one went to his own city to make returns of his property; so now when Christ reigns through His teachers (the governors of the Church) ought we to make returns of righteousness.

As for the excellence of justice in its pursuit, it is added: And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. They were therefore carrying out the king's command, and no one was seizing what belonged to another; and thus they had subjection to the king in their enrollment, and peace with one another in quiet and just cohabitation, according to that passage in Romans thirteen: "Render to all what is owed: to whom tribute, tribute; to whom honor, honor; owe no one anything, except to love one another." To be enrolled indeed, acknowledging themselves subject to the Roman empire, and this by rendering the census tax. And this was just, according to that passage in Matthew twenty-two: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." And because Judea had already been made tributary, it is signified that the time of Christ's nativity had arrived, according to that passage in the penultimate chapter of Genesis: "The scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh, until he comes who is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of the nations." They went, moreover with no one offering hindrance, by which it is shown that this empire was most peaceful; and therefore it was the time for Christ, the announcer of peace, to come, of whom it is said in Ephesians two: "He himself is our peace, who has made both one." And thus that passage in Micah four was already fulfilled: "Nation shall not take up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war anymore; and all peoples shall walk, each one in the name of his God." And this is what Bede says in the Gloss: "Christ willed to be born in a most peaceful time, because he greatly sought and loved peace and always visited the lovers of peace."

But in order that men might know that it was an enrolment of righteousness, there came up to it Joseph and Mary, the just man and the virgin. He who was to be guardian of the Word and she who was to bring it forth.

(Irenæus cont. Hær. 1. 3. c. 11.) Now he added, a city of David, that he might declare that the promise made by God to David, namely, that from the fruit of his loins there should go before him a king for ever, (2 Sam. 7:12.) was already fulfilled. Whence it follows, Because he was of the house and lineage of David. (Ps. 132:11.) But since Joseph was of the family of David, it pleased the Evangelist to make known also that the Virgin herself was of the same family, because the Divine law enjoined marriages between those of the same line; and therefore it follows, With Mary his espoused wife.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judah, to the city of David, etc. By divine arrangement, the census registration was decreed in such a way that everyone was ordered to go to their own homeland. Not only for the mystery we spoke of, but also so that the Lord, conceived elsewhere, born elsewhere, could evade the fury of Herod more easily. If He had been born to parents from Bethlehem, a cunning pursuer might have suspected their sudden flight, especially since everyone knew they were of the lineage of David, from whom Christ was to come. David himself bears witness to this with his name, homeland, and office. David, for his name means "hand of the strong" or "beloved." The name is derived both because he courageously struck down the giant and because he was handsome in appearance and had a pleasing face; but in a deeper mystery, prefiguring Him who was to be born of his house and family, who would singularly conquer the prince of this world, beautiful beyond the sons of men (Ps. 44), and He Himself born in Bethlehem and a shepherd of intellectual sheep, that is, the simple souls. We must particularly observe this great and benevolent humility of Him who consented not only to incarnate for us, but also to be born at a time when He would be registered in Caesar's census and thus subject Himself to servitude for our liberation. Peter suggests this to us as a path of His humility (for He did not come to change conditions, but minds): "Be subject," he says, "to every human creature for God's sake, whether to the king as the superior, or to governors as sent by him" (1 Peter 2). His co-apostle Paul also says: "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man anything, but to love one another" (Rom. 13).

Now the registration of property was so appointed by Divine guidance, that every one was ordered to go into his own country, as it follows, And they all went to be taxed, every one to his own city. Which so came to pass, in order that the Lord, conceived in one place, born in another, might the more easily escape the fury of the crafty Herod. Hence it follows: Now Joseph also went up from Galilee.

Our city and country is the resting-place of the blessed, to which we ought to be travelling with daily increasing virtues. But day by day does Holy Church wait upon her Teacher, and going up from the course of worldly business (which the name of Galilee signifies) to the city of Judah, i. e. the city of confession and praise, make returns of her devotion to the Eternal King. She, after the example of the blessed Virgin Mary, a Virgin has conceived us of the Spirit. Though espoused to another, she is made fruitful by Him; and while visibly joined to the Pontiff who is placed over her, is invisibly filled with the graces of the Spirit. And hence Joseph is well interpreted increased, declaring by his very name, that the earnestness of the master speaking is of no avail, except he receive increasing help from above, that he may be heard.

But Joseph also went up, etc. After he described the due time, he here describes the fitting place, and this because that place was suitable to the prophetic oracle, suitable to the divine promise, and suitable also to the imperial edict.

It is shown therefore to be fitting by prophetic oracle in that it says: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, because according to one prophecy, Nazareth, "where Christ had been conceived," was fitting for the conception: Isaiah 11, according to another reading: "A Nazarene shall rise from his root"; but according to another, Bethlehem was fitting for the nativity. Therefore it adds: Into Judea, into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: Micah 5: "And you, Bethlehem Ephrata, you are little among the thousands of Judah; for from you shall come forth he who is to be ruler in Israel, and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity." Whence it is said in Matthew 2 that when Herod inquired where Christ would be born, the scribes answered: "In Bethlehem of Judah, for so it is written through the Prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah. For from you shall come forth a leader who shall rule my people." This was the city of David, because from there he took his origin; 1 Kings 16: "The Lord said to Samuel: Come, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided among his sons a king for myself." And note that Christ was born in one place, conceived in another, and raised in another, so that the mystery of the incarnation might be hidden from Herod and other impious men; whence John 7: "Does Christ come from Galilee? Is it not from Bethlehem, the town?"

That place is also shown to be fitting by the divine promise, when it adds: Because he was of the house and family of David, namely he himself and his spouse the Virgin Mary. Whence Bernard says that "in the one the promise made to David was fulfilled, while the other was merely a witness and one who knew." This promise was made to David in 2 Kings 7, through Nathan: "The Lord foretells to you that the Lord will make you a house; and when your days shall be completed, I will raise up your seed after you and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever"; and again in the Psalm: "The Lord swore truth to David, and he will not frustrate it: of the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne."

He is also fittingly born in Bethlehem: for Bethlehem is interpreted as "house of bread." For he himself is the one who says: I am the living bread who came down from heaven. The place, therefore, in which the Lord is born was previously called "house of bread," because it was surely going to happen that he would appear there through the substance of flesh, who would refresh the minds of the elect with inner satisfaction.

It is shown lastly as fitting to the imperial edict, when it is added: That he might be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. For this had proceeded from the imperial edict. And although the Virgin had already conceived the King of heaven and earth, nevertheless she willed to obey the imperial edict even while pregnant, so that she might say with her Son that word of Matthew 3: "So it becomes us to fulfill all justice"; and through this give us an example of obeying every superior power, according to that word of 1 Peter 2: "Be subject to every human creature for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, but for the praise of the good." In this, moreover, it appears how human empire serves the divine. For when Caesar commanded that all should go to their own city, and when Mary and Joseph obeyed his command, it came to pass what neither intended, namely that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, according as it had been eternally disposed and temporally promised and foretold and prophesied. And therefore the command of those set over us is in no way to be despised.

The sacred Evangelist says that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, to show that the conception had taken place upon her betrothal solely, and that the birth of the Emanuel was miraculous, and not in accordance with the laws of nature. For the holy Virgin did not bear from the immission of man's seed. And what was the reason of this? Christ, Who is the first-fruits of all, the second Adam according to the Scriptures, was born of the Spirit, that he might transmit the grace (of the spiritual birth) to us also: for we too were intended, no longer to bear the name of sons of men, but of God rather, having obtained the new birth of the Spirit in Christ first, that he might be "foremost among all," as the most wise Paul declares. And the occasion of the census most opportunely caused the holy Virgin to go to Bethlehem, that we might see another |9 prophecy fulfilled. For it is written, as we have already mentioned, "And thou Bethlehem, house of Ephratah, art very small to be among the thousands of Judah: from thee shall come forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel!" But in answer to those who argue that, if He were brought forth in the flesh, the Virgin was corrupted: and if she were not corrupted, that He was brought forth only in appearance, we say; the prophet declares, "the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in and gone out, and the gate remaineth closed." If, moreover, the Word was made flesh without sexual intercourse, being conceived altogether without seed, then was He born without injury to her virginity.

(non occ.) It is said that she was espoused, to imply that nothing more than espousals preceded the conception; for it was not by man's seed that the Holy Virgin conceived.

Christ is also enrolled together with everyone. It was fitting for the Lord to be enrolled with the whole world, in order to sanctify those being enrolled and to abolish slavery; for just as, by undergoing circumcision, He abolished circumcision, so, by being enrolled as a slave, He abolished the slavery of our nature. For those who serve the Lord are no longer slaves of men, as the apostle says: "do not become slaves of men" (1 Cor. 7:23), but even if they are slaves in body, they are free in spirit, not being carried away by the impiety of their masters.

Therefore, He was a little child, an infant, so that you, a man, may become perfect; He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that you may be freed from the snares of death; He was in a manger, so that you may be on the altar; He was on earth, so that you may be in heaven; He had no other place in that inn, so that you may have many mansions in heavenly seats. He, being rich, became poor for your sake, so that through His poverty, you may be enriched. Therefore, my poverty is my inheritance, and the weakness of the Lord is my strength. He chose to be needy so that he might abound in all things. My tears washed away the sins of that infant crying, and my tears cleansed those sins. Therefore, Lord Jesus, I owe more to your injuries for which I was redeemed than to my deeds for which I was created. It would have been of no use to be born unless it was profitable to be redeemed.

But no one should include the entirety of divinity within the confines of bodily form. The nature of the flesh is different from the glory of divinity. Because of you, there is weakness and power within itself; because of you, there is lack and abundance within itself. Do not judge based on what you see, but rather recognize what you have been redeemed for. You see it in rags, but it is in heaven and you cannot see it. You hear the cries of an infant, but you do not hear the mooing of the Lord recognizing his ox. For the ox has recognized its owner, and the donkey the manger of its Lord.

He is poured forth from the womb, but shines from heaven; He lies in a earthly inn, but flourishes with heavenly light.

St. Luke has briefly explained the manner, time, and also the place in which Christ was born in the flesh; the manner, that is, in which the espoused has conceived, a virgin has born offspring.

On thy account then am I weak, in Himself is He strong. On thy account am I poor, in Himself is He rich. Consider not what thou seest, but acknowledge that thou art redeemed. I owe more, O Lord Jesus, to Thy sufferings that I am redeemed, than to Thy works that I am created. It were no advantage to be born, had it not advantaged me to be redeemed also.

(Metaphrastes) Oh the wonderful straitening and banishment which He underwent, Who holds the whole world in His hands! From the very beginning He seeks for poverty, and ennobles it in His own person.

It came to pass while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered, etc. Well, the Lord is born in Bethlehem not just for the indication of the royal lineage but also for the sacrament of the name. For Bethlehem indeed means "house of bread." He himself is the one who said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (John VI). Therefore, the place where the Lord was to be born was called "house of bread" beforehand, because it was surely destined that he would appear there in the material of the flesh, who would refresh the minds of the elect with inward satisfaction. But up to this day, and until the end of the world, the Lord ceases not to be conceived in Nazareth and to be born in Bethlehem, whenever any of the listeners, having received the flower of the word, makes himself the house of eternal bread. Daily he is conceived in the virgin womb, that is, in the minds of the believers through faith, born through baptism. Daily the Church, Mother of God, following her master teacher, from the wheel of worldly conversation—which Galilee signifies—ascends to the city of Judah, namely, confession and praise, and pays the tribute of its devotion to the eternal king. Which, in the example of the ever-blessed virgin Mary, being both wedded and immaculate, conceives us a virgin from the Spirit, gives birth to us a virgin without a groan, and, as if assigned to another, but made fruitful by another, is joined visibly to the Pontiff assigned over her, but is filled invisibly with the virtue of the Holy Spirit. Whence also Joseph is well interpreted as "increased". This name clearly indicates that the earnestness of the speaking master avails nothing if it does not receive the increase of heavenly assistance to be heard. But that Mary is described as having given birth to her firstborn son is not to be taken according to the Helvidians, as though she also begot other children, as if he cannot be called firstborn unless he has brothers, just as he is usually called only-begotten who lacks brothers. Because both the testimony of the law and clear reason declare that all only-begottens can also be called firstborns, but not all firstborns can be called only-begottens. This means not only being firstborn after whom others come, but also everyone before whom no one else has issued from the womb. Hence, because every male that opens the womb is commanded to be called holy to the Lord, whether brothers follow or do not follow, what is first born from the womb is rightfully to be consecrated as firstborn. Truly by a higher reason, the Son of God appearing in the flesh, both according to the excellence of divinity the only-begotten of the Father, and according to the brotherly fellowship the firstborn of all creation. Concerning this it is said: For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. VIII). Concerning that he said: And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father (John I). Therefore, he is the only-begotten in the substance of the Deity, the firstborn in the assumption of humanity. Firstborn in grace, only-begotten in nature. Hence he is called brother and Lord. Brother, because firstborn; Lord, because only-begotten.

He calls the Lord "firstborn," not because we should believe that Mary gave birth to other sons after him, since it is true that she was memorable for her unique perpetual chastity with Joseph her husband. But he properly names him "firstborn" because, as John says, "But to as many as received him he gave them the power to become sons of God." Among these sons he rightfully holds the primacy who, before he was born in the flesh, was Son of God, born without beginning. However, he descended to earth. He shared in our nature and lavished upon us a sharing in his grace, so that "he should be the firstborn of many brothers."

Our city and country is the resting-place of the blessed, to which we ought to be travelling with daily increasing virtues. But day by day does Holy Church wait upon her Teacher, and going up from the course of worldly business (which the name of Galilee signifies) to the city of Judah, i. e. the city of confession and praise, make returns of her devotion to the Eternal King. She, after the example of the blessed Virgin Mary, a Virgin has conceived us of the Spirit. Though espoused to another, she is made fruitful by Him; and while visibly joined to the Pontiff who is placed over her, is invisibly filled with the graces of the Spirit. And hence Joseph is well interpreted increased, declaring by his very name, that the earnestness of the master speaking is of no avail, except he receive increasing help from above, that he may be heard.

He condescended to become incarnate at that time, that after His birth He might be enrolled in Cæsar's taxing, and in order to bring liberty to us might Himself become subject to slavery. It was well also that our Lord was born at Bethlehem, not only as a mark of the royal crown, but on account of the sacrament of the name.

But down to the very end of time, the Lord ceases not to be conceived at Nazareth, to be born at Bethlehem, whenever any of His hearers taking of the flour of the word makes himself a house of eternal bread. Daily in the Virgin's womb, i. e. in the mind of believers, Christ is conceived by faith, born by baptism. It follows, and she brought forth her firstborn son.

He is also only-begotten in the substance of His divinity, firstborn in the taking upon Himself humanity, firstborn in grace, only-begotten in nature.

He who clothes the whole world with its varied beauty, is wrapped up in common linen, that we might be able to receive the best robe; He by Whom all things are made, is folded both hands and feet, that our hands might be raised up for every good work, and our feet directed in the way of peace.

He is confined in the narrow space of a rude manger, whose seat is the heavens, that He may give us ample room in the joys of His heavenly kingdom. He Who is the bread of Angels is laid down in a manger, that He might feast us, as it were the sacred animals, with the bread of His flesh.

He who sits at His Father's right hand, finds no room in an inn, that He might prepare for us in His Father's house many mansions; (John 14:2.) He is born not in His Father's house, but in an inn and by the way side, because through the mystery of the incarnation He was made the way by which to bring us to our country, (where we shall enjoy the truth and the life.) (John 14:6.)

Now it came to pass, when they were there etc. He has described above the nativity of Christ as to the fitting time and suitable place; here thirdly he describes it as to the birth, which he describes as to three things, namely as to the opportune time for giving birth, the novelty of the birth and the poverty of the one giving birth: from which the origin of Christ is shown to be admirable, inimitable, and commendable.

First, therefore, he intimates the opportune time for giving birth, when he says: It came to pass, when they were there, the days were accomplished of Mary, that she should give birth, in accordance with what was said above of her kinswoman, in the preceding chapter: "For Elizabeth the time of giving birth was fulfilled." Truly fulfilled, because in the fullness of time Christ was conceived and born: Galatians 4: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, made of a woman"; Psalm: "Full days shall be found in them."

(Diem Nat. Christi.) Though coming in the form of man, yet not in every thing is He subject to the laws of man's nature; for while His being born of a woman, tells of human nature; virginity becoming capable of childbirth betokens something above man. Of Him then His mother's burden was light, the birth immaculate, the delivery without pain, the nativity without defilement, neither beginning from wanton desire, nor brought to pass with sorrow. For as she who by her guilt engrafted death into our nature, was condemned to bring forth in trouble, it was meet that she who brought life into the world should accomplish her delivery with joy. But through a virgin's purity He makes His passage into mortal life at a time in which the darkness was beginning to fail, and the vast expanse of night to fade away before the exceeding brightness of the light. For the death of sin had brought an end of wickedness which from henceforth tends to nothing by reason of the presence of the true light which has illuminated the whole world with the rays of the Gospel.

(Hom. viii. in Ev.) Bethlehem is by interpretation the house of bread. For it is the Lord Himself who says, I am the bread of life which came down from heaven. (John 6:53.) The place therefore where the Lord was born was before called the house of bread, because it was there that He was to appear in His fleshly nature who should refresh the souls of the elect with spiritual fulness.

(ubi sup.) And that He might show that on account of the human form which He took upon Him, He was born as in a strange country, not according to His power but according to His nature.

He found no room in the Holy of Holies that shone with gold, precious stones, pure silk and silver. He is not born in the midst of gold and riches, but in the midst of dung, in a stable where our sins were filthier than the dung. He is born on a dunghill in order to lift up those who come from it: "From the dunghill he lifts up the poor."

The Lord is born on earth, and he does not have even a cell in which to be born, for there was no room for him in the inn. The entire human race had a place, and the Lord about to be born on earth had none. He found no room among men. He found no room in Plato, none in Aristotle, but in a manger, among beasts of burden and brute animals, and among the simple, too, and the innocent. For that reason the Lord says in the Gospel: "The foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

(cont. Helvid.) From this Helvidius strives to prove that no one can be called firstborn who has not brothers, as he is called only-begotten who is the only son of his parents. But we thus determine the matter. Every only-begotten is firstborn, not every firstborn is only-begotten. We say not that he is first-begotten whom others follow, but before whom there is no one; (otherwise, supposing there is no firstborn but who has brothers following him, there are then no firstlings due to the priests as long as there are no others begotten;) lest perchance when no birth follows afterward, there should be an only-begotten and not a firstborn.

Now here was no midwife, no tender anxiety of women; she wrapped the Child up in swaddling clothes, herself both mother and midwife.

To prevent you from thinking that his coming to earth was merely an accommodation, and to give you solid grounds for truly believing that his was real flesh, he was conceived, born and nurtured. That his birth might be made manifest and become common knowledge, he was laid in a manger, not in some small room but in a lodging place before numerous people. This was the reason for the swaddling clothes and also for the prophecies spoken long before. The prophecies showed not only that he was going to be a man but that he would be conceived, born and nurtured as any child would be.

A feast day is about to arrive, and it is the most holy and awesome of all feasts. It would be no mistake to call it the chief and mother of all holy days. What feast is that? It is the day of Christ's birth in the flesh.It is from this day that the feasts of the theophany, the sacred Pasch [Passover], the ascension and Pentecost had their source and foundation. Had Christ not been born in the flesh, he would not have been baptized, which is the theophany or manifestation. Nor would he have been crucified, which is the Pasch. Nor would he have sent down the Spirit, which is Pentecost. Therefore, just as different rivers arise from a single source, these other feasts have their beginnings in the birth of Christ.

(non occ.) Surely if He had so willed it, He might have come moving the heavens, making the earth to shake, and shooting forth His thunderbolts; but such was not the way of His going forth; His desire was not to destroy, but to save; and to trample upon human pride from its very birth, therefore He is not only man, but a poor man, and has chosen a poor mother, who had not even a cradle where she might lay her new born Child; as it follows, and she laid him in the manger.

Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and celebrate, all who love Zion! Today the ancient bond of the condemnation of Adam is loosed. Paradise is opened to us: the serpent is laid low. Of old he deceived the woman in Paradise, but now he sees a woman become mother of the Creator. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! The sinful vessel that brought death upon all flesh has become the first fruits of salvation through the Theotokos for all the world. For from her the all-perfect God is born a child, and by his birth he sets the seal on her virginity. Through his swaddling clothes he looses the bands of sin. And through becoming a child he heals Eve's pangs in travail. Therefore let all creation sing and dance for joy, for Christ has come to restore it and to save our souls!

And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.—What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that he hath rendered to me? For what is greater than all praise: A little child is born to us, so that we might become perfect men? He who clothes the whole world in varied attire is wrapped in cheap swaddling clothes, so that we might be able to receive the first robe. By whom all things were made, his hands and feet are bound in the crib, so that our hands might be freed for good works, our feet directed into the path of peace. To whom heaven is a seat, he is contained in the narrowness of a hard manger, so that he might open up the joys of the heavenly kingdom for us. He who is the bread of angels, is laid in a manger, so that we, like holy animals, might be fed with the grain of his flesh. He who sits at the right hand of the Father needs a place in the inn, so that he might prepare many mansions for us in the house of his Father. Although the fact that he is born not in his parents' house but in an inn and on the way can be understood more deeply through its meaning. For he himself said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14). Therefore, he who remains truth and life by the essence of divinity, by the mystery of the Incarnation became the way, by which he might lead us to the homeland where we could enjoy truth and life.

He also indicates the novelty of the birth in that he says: And she brought forth her firstborn son. He says this, however, by way of privation of a prior child: for since the Virgin had conceived him, therefore he was her firstborn: Isaiah 7: "Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son"; and therefore the birth was new, just as the conception was, because, just as the conception was without shame, so the birth was without pain; the last chapter of Isaiah: "Before she was in labor, she brought forth: before her travail came, she brought forth a male child. Who has ever heard such a thing? Or who has seen the like of this?"; and afterward: "Shall I, who make others bring forth, not bring forth myself, says the Lord? If I, who grant generation to others, shall I be barren, says the Lord God?" Such a birth was fitting for Christ, of whom it is said in Colossians 1: "In him we have redemption and the remission of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature"; whence, just as he is the firstborn of the Father, so also the firstborn of the Mother; just as also the only-begotten of the Father, so the only-begotten of the Mother: John 1: "We saw his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father," etc. Whence he does not say here firstborn indicating an order with respect to a later child, as the heretic Helvidius said, but a privation with respect to a prior child, because she had none before him, so that it might be shown that he was to be entirely dedicated to the Lord. For all firstborn were to be offered to God: Exodus 13: "Sanctify to me every firstborn that opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of men and of beasts: for all are mine."

He indicates thirdly the poverty of the one giving birth, because she was lacking in covering, a bed, and lodging. On account of the lack of covering he says: And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, not in one garment, but in many, so that he could be called a ragged pauper, and by his example he showed that saying of the Apostle in the last chapter of First Timothy: "Having food and wherewith to be covered, with these let us be content." And this corresponds to that prophecy in Zechariah 3, where it is said that "Jesus, the high priest, was clothed in filthy garments." Bernard: "Recognize Jesus the high priest, clothed in filthy garments, while he was contending with the devil. But when our head was exalted above our enemies, he changed his garment, he put on beauty, clothed with light as with a garment. For indeed an iron breastplate is more useful in battle than a linen robe, although the former is for burden, the latter for honor." And in this is reproved the adornment of costly garments; on account of which it is said in Matthew 11: "Those who are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings"; and Sirach 11: "Never glory in clothing."

On account of the lack of a bed, he adds: And she laid him in a manger, not in a bedchamber, so that that saying of Matthew 8 might be verified: "Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head." Christ is placed in a manger so that that saying of John 6 might be shown: "I am the living bread, who came down from heaven"; and so that that saying of Isaiah 1 might be verified: "The ox has known its owner, and the donkey the manger of its lord"; and that saying of Habakkuk 3 according to the Septuagint: "In the midst of two animals you shall be made known; when the years draw near, you shall be recognized," etc.

In this, however, according to the mystical understanding, that he was born in Bethlehem, it is understood that he is the living bread: Bethlehem is interpreted as "house of bread." In this, that he was placed in a manger, it is noted that he is the food of the simple and humble by reason of the flesh assumed: Isaiah 40: "All flesh is grass, and all its glory is as the flower of grass." In this, that he was in the midst of two animals, it is signified that in this pasture and by this shepherd the flocks of the twofold sheepfold were to be united: John 10: "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; and those I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."

Morally and literally, in this Christ condemned luxurious beds, against which, Amos 6: "Woe to you who sleep on ivory beds and are wanton on your couches!"

On account of the lack of a dwelling, he adds: Because there was no room for them in the inn. For an inn, according to Isidore, is so called because diverse people gather there, and this is an open place; but according to Bede, because it has diverse openings: for it is an open space between two streets, having an entrance and exit on each side, and covered above on account of the inclemency of the weather, so that citizens might gather there to converse. Here the Virgin Mary gave birth, because they did not have a house in which they could be lodged, either because they were poor, or because they had come late. This place, however, was narrow, or even filled with others, so that he had no place except the most confined spot among brute animals; whence Christ could say that word of the Psalm: "I have become as a beast of burden before you, and I am always with you"; and that saying of Jeremiah 14 was verified: "Why are you to be as a wayfarer in the land and as a sojourner turning aside to stay? Why are you to be as a wandering man, as a mighty one who cannot save? But you are in us, O Lord, and your name is invoked upon us," etc. And in this the vastness of buildings is condemned, according to that saying of Isaiah 5: "Woe to you who join house to house and couple field to field." Augustine says: "There was nothing for him but confinement on earth, so that you might open wide for him a place proper to himself in your heart. The Son of man has not where to lay his head, and you measure out spacious palaces and vast porticoes."

Thus therefore a poor mother bore Christ as a poor child, that he might invite us to poverty and enrich us by his want, according to that passage in Second Corinthians eight: "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, for your sake became poor." And according to this complete destitution he condemned avaricious wealth: whence Bernard: "The Son of God chose a poor mother, who scarcely had swaddling clothes for wrapping him, and a manger for his throne, a place for laying him down. Such is not the judgment of the world. Either he is deceived, or the world errs: but it is impossible for divine wisdom to be deceived: therefore he who is not deceived chose what is more troublesome to the flesh; that therefore is better, that more useful, that more to be chosen." Let us therefore be with Christ, as is said in Second Corinthians six, "as needy, yet enriching many, as having nothing, yet possessing all things."

From this it is intimated to us that he was truly the Savior of the world, who at the very beginning of his birth offered an example of virtue and showed the way of salvation. For by having a lowly, humble, and poor bed, he was already beginning to say that this world is to be despised, according to the three things contained in it. He was already beginning to show by example the state of perfection, which consists in humility, austerity, and poverty. The Lord also showed in this the disposition of supreme condescension, because he was made for us not only a little child, but also a poor and despised one, so that he could truly say that word of the Psalm: "I am poor and in labors from my youth."

And she brought forth her firstborn Son: In what sense then her firstborn? By firstborn she here means, not the first among several brethren, but one who was both her first and only son: for some such sense as (his exists among the significations of "firstborn." For sometimes also the Scripture calls that the first which is the only one; as "I am God, the First, and with Me there is no other." To show then that the Virgin did not bring forth a mere man, there is added the word firstborn; for as she continued to be a virgin, she had no other son but Him Who is of the Father: concerning Whom God the Father also proclaims by the voice of David, "And I will set Him Firstborn high among the kings of the earth." Of Him also the all-wise Paul makes mention, saying, "But when He brought the First-begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him." How then did He enter into the world? For He is separate from it, not so much in respect of place as of nature; for it is in nature that He differs from the inhabitants of the world: but He entered into it by being made man, and becoming a portion of it by the incarnation. For though He is the Only-begotten as regards His divinity, yet as having become our brother, He has also the name of Firstborn; that, being made the first-fruits as it were of the adoption of men, He might; make us also the sons of God. Consider therefore that He is called the Firstborn in respect of the economy: for with respect to His divinity He is the |10 Only-begotten. Again, He is the Only-begotten in respect of His being the Word of the Father, having no brethren by nature, nor being co-ordinate with any other being: for the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, is One and Alone: but He becomes the Firstborn by descending to the level of created things. When therefore He is called the Only-begotten, He is so with no cause assigned by reason of which He is the Only-begotten, being "the Only-begotten God 5 into the bosom of the Father:" but when the divine Scriptures call Him Firstborn, they immediately also add of whom He is the firstborn, and assign the cause of His bearing this title: for they say, "Firstborn among many brethren:" and "Firstborn from the dead:" the one, because He was made like unto us in all things except sin; and the other, because He first raised up His own flesh unto incorruption. Moreover, He has ever been the Only-begotten by nature, as being the Sole begotten of the Father, God of God, and Sole of Sole, having shone forth God of God, and Light of Light: but He is the Firstborn for our sakes, that by His being called the Firstborn of things created, whatever resembles Him may be saved through Him: for if He must of necessity be the Firstborn, assuredly those must also continue to exist of whom He is the Firstborn. But if, as Eunomius 6 argues, He is called God's Firstborn, as born the first of many; and He is also the Virgin's Firstborn; then as regards her also, He must be the first as preceding another child: but if He is called Mary's Firstborn, as her only child, and not as preceding others, then is He also God's Firstborn, not as the first of many, but as the Only One born. Moreover if the first are confessedly the cause of the second, but God and the Son of God are first, then is the Son the cause of those who have the name of sons, inasmuch as it is through Him that they have obtained the appellation. He therefore who is the cause of the second sons may justly be called the Firstborn, not as being the first of them, but as the first cause of their receiving the title of sonship. And just as the Father being called the first----"for I, He saith, am the first, and I am after these things"----assuredly will not compel us to regard Him as similar in nature to those that are after Him; so also though the Son be called the first of creation, or the Firstborn before all creation, it by no means follows that He is one of the things made: but just as the Father said "I am the first," to show that He is the origin of all things, in the same sense the Son also is called the first of creation. "For all things were made by Him," and He is the beginning of all created things, as being the Creator and Maker of the world.

And she laid him in the manger: He found man reduced to the level of the beasts: therefore is He placed like fodder in a manger, that we, having left off our bestial life, might mount up to that degree of intelligence which befits man's nature; and whereas we were brutish in soul, by now approaching the manger, even His own table, we find no longer fodder, but the bread from heaven, which is the body of life.

The book of the sacred Gospels referring the genealogy to Joseph, who was descended from David's house, has proved through him that the Virgin also was of the same tribe as David, inasmuch as the divine law commanded that marriages should be confined to those of the same tribe. And Paul, the interpreter of the heavenly doctrines, clearly declares the truth, bearing witness that the Lord arose out of Judah. The natures, however, which combined unto this real union were different, but from the two together is one God the Son, without the diversity of the natures being destroyed by the union. For a union of two natures was made, and therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. And it is with this notion of a union that we proclaim the Virgin to be the mother of God, because God the Word was made flesh and became man, and by the act of conception united to himself the temple that he received from her. For we perceive that two natures, by an inseparable union, met together in him without confusion, and indivisibly. For the flesh is flesh and not deity, even though it became the flesh of God. In like manner also the Word is God and not flesh, though for the dispensation's sake he made the flesh his own. But although the natures which came together to form the union are both different and unequal to one another, yet he who is formed from them both is only one. We may not separate the one Lord Jesus Christ into man and God, but we affirm that Christ Jesus is one and the same, acknowledging the distinction of the natures, and preserving them free from confusion with one another.

He found humanity reduced to the level of the beasts. Therefore he is placed like feed in a manger, that we, having left behind our carnal desires, might rise up to that degree of intelligence which befits human nature. Whereas we were brutish in soul, by now approaching the manger, yes, his table, we find no longer feed, but the bread from heaven, which is the body of life.

He finds man in his corrupt affections become like the beasts that perish, and therefore He is laid in the manger, in the place of food, that we changing the life of beasts, might be brought to the knowledge that befits man, partaking not of hay, but of the heavenly bread, the lifegiving body.

I thought of a low and lonely house in the flats, behind a veil or film of slight trees, a man breaking the ground as men have broken from the first morning, and a huge grey horse champing his food within a foot of a child's head, as in the stable where Christ was born.

Christ is Born, glorify ye Him. Christ from heaven, go ye out to meet Him. Christ on earth; be ye exalted. Sing unto the Lord all the whole earth; and that I may join both in one word, Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for Him Who is of heaven and then of earth. Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because of your sins, with joy because of your hope. Christ of a Virgin; O ye Matrons live as Virgins, that ye may be Mothers of Christ. Who doth not worship Him That is from the beginning? Who doth not glorify Him That is the Last?

He dwelt in the womb-but He was recognized by the Prophet, himself still in the womb, leaping before the Word, for Whose sake He came into being. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes-but He took off the swathing bands of the grave by His rising again. He was laid in a manger-but He was glorified by Angels, and proclaimed by a star, and worshipped by the Magi. Why are you offended by that which is presented to your sight, because you will not look at that which is presented to your mind?

He who is born not in his parents' house, but on the way, surely showed that through the humanity which he had assumed, he was being born as if in a foreign place. I say "foreign," of course, not according to power, but according to nature. For concerning his power it is written: He came unto his own. In his own nature, indeed, he was born before all ages; in our nature he came in time. He, therefore, who remaining eternal appeared temporal—the place where he descended is foreign to him. And because it is said through the prophet: All flesh is grass, he, having been made man, turned our grass into grain, he who said of himself: Unless a grain of wheat falling into the earth dies, it remains alone. Hence also, when born, he is laid in a manger, so that he might refresh all the faithful, namely his holy animals, with the grain of his flesh, lest they remain fasting from the food of eternal understanding.

And if you please, we say that the Word was the first-born of God, who came down from heaven to the blessed Mary, and was made a first-born man in her womb, in order that the first-born of God might be manifested in union with a first-born man.

Certain expressions in the evangelical narratives are said to imply that Mary bore other children besides the Lord, and it is even asserted that no unprejudiced person could interpret them otherwise. The justice of this charge may be fairly questioned. The context in each case seems to suggest another explanation of these expressions, which does not decide anything one way or the other. St. Matthew writes that Joseph 'knew not' his wife 'till (ewV ou) she brought forth a son' (1:25); while St. Luke speaks of her bringing forth 'her firstborn son' (2:7). St. Matthew's expression however, 'till she brought forth,' as appears from the context, is intended simply to show that Jesus was not begotten in the course of nature; and thus, while it denies any previous intercourse with her husband, it neither asserts nor implies any subsequent intercourse. Again, the prominent idea conveyed by the term 'firstborn' to a Jew would be not the birth of other children, but the special consecration of this one. The typical reference in fact is foremost in the mind of St. Luke, as he himself explains it, 'Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord' (2:23). Thus 'firstborn' does not necessarily suggest 'later-born,' any more than 'son' suggests 'daughter.' The two words together describe the condition under which in obedience to the law a child was consecrated to God. The 'firstborn son' is in fact the Evangelist's equivalent for the 'male that openeth the womb.'

No midwife assisted at His birth; no women's officiousness intervened. With her own hands she wrapped Him in the swaddling clothes, herself both mother and midwife, [Luke 2:7] "and laid Him," we are told, "in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn"; a statement which, on the one hand, refutes the ravings of the apocryphal accounts, for Mary herself wrapped Him in the swaddling clothes, and on the other makes the voluptuous notion of Helvidius impossible, since there was no place suitable for married intercourse in the inn.

He will have it that Mary bore other sons, and he quotes the passage, "And Joseph also went up to the city of David to enroll himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her first-born son." From this he endeavours to show that the term first-born is inapplicable except to a person who has brothers, just as he is called only begotten who is the only son of his parents.

Our position is this: Every only begotten son is a first-born son, but not every first-born is an only begotten. By first-born we understand not only one who is succeeded by others, but one who has had no predecessor. [Numbers 18:15] "Everything," says the Lord to Aaron, "that opens the womb of all flesh which they offer unto the Lord, both of man and beast, shall be yours: nevertheless the first born of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shall you redeem." The word of God defines first-born as everything that opens the womb. Otherwise, if the title belongs to such only as have younger brothers, the priests cannot claim the firstlings until their successors have been begotten, lest, perchance, in case there were no subsequent delivery it should prove to be the first-born but not merely the only begotten. [Numbers 18:16] "And those that are to be redeemed of them from a month old shall you redeem, according to your estimation for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs). But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy." The word of God compels me to dedicate to God everything that opens the womb if it be the firstling of clean beasts: if of unclean beasts, I must redeem it, and give the value to the priest. I might reply and say, Why do you tie me down to the short space of a month? Why do you speak of the first-born, when I cannot tell whether there are brothers to follow? Wait until the second is born. I owe nothing to the priest, unless the birth of a second should make the one I previously had the first-born. Will not the very points of the letters cry out against me and convict me of my folly, and declare that first-born is a title of him who opens the womb, and is not to be restricted to him who has brothers? And, then, to take the case of John: we are agreed that he was an only begotten son: I want to know if he was not also a first-born son, and whether he was not absolutely amenable to the law. There can be no doubt in the matter. At all events Scripture thus speaks of the Saviour, "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons." If this law relates only to the first-born, and there can be no first-born unless there are successors, no one ought to be bound by the law of the first-born who cannot tell whether there will be successors. But inasmuch as he who has no younger brothers is bound by the law of the first-born, we gather that he is called the first-born who opens the womb and who has been preceded by none, not he whose birth is followed by that of a younger brother. Moses writes in Exodus, [Exodus 12:29] "And it came to pass at midnight, that the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon: And all the first-born of cattle." Tell me, were they who then perished by the destroyer, only your first-born, or, something more, did they include the only begotten? If only they who have brothers are called first-born, the only begotten were saved from death. And if it be the fact that the only begotten were slain, it was contrary to the sentence pronounced, for the only begotten to die as well as the first-born. You must either release the only begotten from the penalty, and in that case you become ridiculous: or, if you allow that they were slain, we gain our point, though we have not to thank you for it, that only begotten sons also are called first-born.

He rightly called the Lord the "Firstborn" Son of the Virgin, even though she bore no other child, for the one born first is called the firstborn, even if no other is born after him. He is laid in a manger, perhaps in order to teach us humility from the very beginning, or perhaps also to symbolically show that He appeared in this world — a place inhabited by us who have become like senseless beasts (Ps. 48:13, 21). For just as the manger belongs to the cattle, so also this world belongs to us. Thus, the world is a manger, and we are senseless animals; and to redeem us from senselessness, He appeared here for this very reason.

See how divine providence strengthens faith: the angel instructs Mary, the angel instructs Joseph, the angel instructs the shepherds. It is not enough to send once; for every word stands on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Observe with what care God builds up our faith. An Angel teaches Mary; an Angel teaches Joseph; an Angel the shepherds also, of whom it is said, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field.

And there were shepherds in the same region, watching and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of God shone around them. With the most beautiful reason, with the Lord born, the shepherds watch, and by guarding their flock from the dangers of the night, they protect it. To show indeed also through this that that time has arrived, which the true and only good Shepherd once promised, saying: "Behold, I myself will seek out my sheep, and I will visit them, just as a shepherd visits his flock, and I will rescue them from all places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day." And a little later: "And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will feed them, and I will make the evil beasts cease from the land" (Ezekiel 34), etc. What was wondrously foretold by the prophet, we see more wondrously fulfilled by the Lord. The prophet Micah also remembers this time and place, saying: "And you, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come, and the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Zion" (Micah 4). For the Tower of the Flock, which is called the Tower of Eder in Hebrew, is about a thousand paces east of the city of Bethlehem, foretelling these shepherds long before by the prophecy of its name, to which the angelic powers indeed came, appearing to the shepherds. Therefore, with the Lord born, let the shepherds watch over their flock of sheep, signifying by his clear dispensation, shepherds in the Church will keep watch over pure souls. To whom it is said: "Feed the flock of God which is among you" (1 Peter 5). But with the shepherds watching well, an angel appears, and the glory of God shines around them, because those who deserve to see sublime things before others are those who know how to diligently watch over the faithful flocks, and while they piously watch over the flock, divine grace shines more abundantly upon them. Similarly, an angel instructs Mary, an angel instructs Joseph, an angel instructs the shepherds. And the citizens of heaven testify to the Lord to be conceived, conceived, and born, so that they may sufficiently instruct mortals and ceaselessly offer their service to their author. For in the subsequent events—when He was tempted, when He was to suffer, to rise again, and to ascend to heaven—they are always reported to be present.

(Home. ubi sup.) For in a mystery, those shepherds, and their flocks, signify all teachers and guides of faithful souls. The night in which they were keeping watch over their flocks, indicates the dangerous temptations from which they never cease to keep themselves, and those placed under their care. Well also at the birth of our Lord do shepherds watch over their flocks; for He was born who says, I am the good Shepherd: (John 10:11, 16.) but the time also was at hand in which the same Shepherd was to recal His scattered sheep to the pastures of life.

As to the vigilance of their own solicitude, it is said: And there were shepherds in the same region, keeping watch. For this pertains to the pastoral office: whence Jacob, the shepherd of Laban's sheep, said in Genesis thirty-one: "By day I was scorched by heat and by frost at night, and sleep fled from my eyes." And to indicate their greater attentiveness, he adds: And keeping the night watches over their flock. For at night especially one must keep watch to repel hostile attacks, namely of wolves and thieves.

By this, however, is spiritually intimated the watchfulness that ought to be in prelates: whence Second Timothy four: "But watch thou, labor in all things, be sober." And therefore Hebrews, last chapter: "Obey your prelates in all things. For they watch as being about to render an account for your souls"; because, Romans twelve, "he that ruleth, with solicitude." Everyone ought also to watch against the spiritual enemy, according to that of Lamentations two: "Arise, give praise in the night, in the beginning of the watches; pour out thy heart like water before the sight of the Lord thy God." One ought also to watch in contemplation: Psalm: "And the night is my illumination in my delights"; and Isaiah twenty-six: "My soul hath desired thee in the night, yea, and with my spirit within my heart I will watch for thee in the morning"; and this, because such an hour is suited to divine inspiration. Such an hour was also fitting for the divine nativity, according to that of Wisdom eighteen: "For while all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, thy almighty Word, O Lord, leaping down from heaven, from thy royal throne, came." And he says pointedly: Over their flock, according to that of Proverbs twenty-seven: "Diligently know the countenance of thy cattle, and consider thy flocks." Against which, Zechariah eleven: "O shepherd and idol, that forsaketh the flock!" And Jeremiah thirteen: "Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful cattle? What wilt thou say, when he shall visit thee? For thou hast taught them against thee, and instructed them against thy own head."

Let me begin my discourse to you with that which is written in the book of Psalms, "Come let us praise the Lord, and sing unto God our Saviour:" for He is the Head of our feast-day, and therefore let us tell His noble doings, and |13 relate the manner of that beautifully contrived dispensation, by means of which He has saved the world, and having placed on each one of us the yoke of His kingdom, is justly the object of our admiration. The blessed David therefore says in the Psalms, "All ye people clap your hands;" and again adds thereto, "Sing with understanding, God hath set a king over all the heathen." For this holy mystery was wrought with a wisdom most befitting Christ, if it be true, as true most certainly it is, that the Lord, though He is God, appeared unto us, and though He is in the form of God the Father, and possesses an incomparable and universal preeminence, took the likeness of a slave. But even so He was God and Lord; for He did not cease to be that which He had been. The company of the holy prophets had before proclaimed both His birth in the flesh, and His assumption of our likeness as about in due time to come to pass: and inasmuch as this hope had now reached its fulfilment, the rational powers of heaven bring the glad tidings of His manifestation and appearance in this world, to shepherds first of all at Bethlehem, who were thus the earliest to receive the knowledge of the mystery. And the type answers to the truth: for Christ reveals Himself to the spiritual shepherds, that they may preach Him to the rest, just as the shepherds also then were taught His mystery by the holy angels, and ran to bear the glad tidings to their fellows. Angels therefore are the first to preach Him, and declare His glory as God born in the flesh in a wonderful manner of a woman. But perchance some one may object to this; "that He Who was now born was still a child, and wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger: how then did the powers above praise Him as God?" Against such our argument stands firm. Understand, O man, the depth of the mystery! God was in visible form like unto us: the Lord of all in the likeness of a slave, albeit the glory of lordship is inseparable from Him. Understand that the Only-begotten was made flesh; that He endured to be born of a woman for our sakes, to put away the curse pronounced upon the first woman: for to her it was said, "In pains shalt thou bring forth children:" for it was as bringing forth unto death, that they endured the sting of |14 death. But because a woman has brought forth in the flesh the Immanuel, Who is Life, the power of the curse is loosed, and along with death have ceased also the pains that earthly mothers had to endure in bringing forth. Wouldst thou learn also another reason of the matter? Remember what the very wise Paul has written of Him. "For as to the powerlessness of the law, wherein it was weak through the flesh, God having sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and because of sin, has condemned the sin in His flesh, that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." What then is the meaning of his saying that the Son was sent "in the likeness of sinful flesh?" It is this. The law of sin lies hidden in our fleshly members, together with the shameful stirring of the natural lusts: but when the Word of God became flesh, that is man, and assumed our likeness, His flesh was holy and perfectly pure; so that He was indeed in the likeness of our flesh, but not according to its standard. For He was entirely free from the stains and emotions natural to our bodies, and from that inclination which leads us to what is not lawful. When therefore thou seest the child wrapped in swaddling-clothes, stay not thy thought solely upon His birth in the flesh, but mount up to the contemplation of His godlike glory: elevate thy mind aloft: ascend to heaven: so wilt thou behold |15 Him in the highest exaltation, possessed of transcendent glory; thou wilt see Him "set upon a throne high and lifted up;" thou wilt hear the Seraphim extolling Him in hymns, and saying that heaven and earth are full of His glory. Yea! even upon earth this has come to pass: for the glory of God shone upon the shepherds, and there was a multitude of the heavenly armies telling Christ's glory. And this it was which was proclaimed of old by the voice of Moses, "Rejoice, ye heavens, with Him, and let all the sons of God worship Him." For very many holy prophets had been born from time to time, but never had any one of them been glorified by the voice of angels: for they were men, and according to the same measure as ourselves, the true servants of God, and bearers of His words. But not so was Christ: for He is God and Lord, and the Sender of the holy prophets, and, as the Psalmist says, "Who in the clouds shall be compared unto the Lord, and who shall be likened unto the Lord among the sons of God?" For the appellation of sonship is bestowed by Him as of grace upon us who lie under the yoke, and are by nature slaves: but Christ is the true Son, that is, He is the Son of God the Father by nature, even when He had become flesh: for He continued, as I have said, to be that which He had ever been, though He took upon Him that which He had not been. And that what I say is true, the prophet Isaiah again assures us, saying, "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel; butter and honey shall He eat: before He knoweth or chooseth the evil, He shall prefer the good: for before the Child distinguisheth good or evil, He is not obedient to evil in that He chooseth the good." And yet how is it not plain to all, that a new-born babe, as yet unable, from its youth and tenderness, to understand anything, is unequal to the task of distinguishing between good and evil? For he knows absolutely nothing. But in our Saviour Christ it was a great and extraordinary miracle: for He ate while yet a babe both butter and honey. And because He was God, ineffably made flesh, He knew only |16 the good, and was exempt from that depravity which belongs to man. And this too is an attribute of the supreme Substance; for that which is good by nature, firmly and unchangeably, belongs specially to It, and It only; "for there is none good, but one God," as the Saviour has Himself said. Wouldst thou see another virtue of the Child? Wouldst thou see that He is by nature God, Who in the flesh was of woman? Learn what the prophet Isaiah says of Him: "And I drew near unto the prophetess, and she conceived, and bare a male; and the Lord said unto me, Call His name, Quick take captive, and spoil hastily. For before the Child shall know to call father or mother, He shall take the strength of Damascus." For contemporaneously with the birth of Christ the power of the devil was spoiled. For in Damascus he had been the object of religious service, and had had there very many worshippers; but when the holy Virgin brought forth, the power of his tyranny was broken; for the heathen were won unto the knowledge of the truth; and their firstfruits and leaders were the Magi, who came from the East to Jerusalem; whose teacher was the heaven, and their schoolmaster a star. Look not therefore upon Him Who was laid in the manger as a babe merely, but in our poverty see Him Who as God is rich, and in the measure of our humanity Him Who excels the inhabitants of heaven, and Who therefore is glorified even by the holy angels. And how noble was the hymn, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and among men good will!" For the angels and archangels, thrones and lordships, and high above them the Seraphim, preserving their settled order, are at peace with God: for never in any way do they transgress His good pleasure, but are firmly established |17 in righteousness and holiness. But we, wretched beings, by having set up our own lusts in opposition to the will of our Lord, had put ourselves into the position of enemies unto Him. But by Christ this has been done away: for He is our peace; for He has united us by Himself unto God the Father, having taken away from the middle the cause of the enmity, even sin, and so justifies us by faith, and makes us holy and without blame, and calls near unto Him those who were afar off: and besides this, He has created the two people into one new man, so making peace, and reconciling both in one body to the Father. For it pleased God the Father to form into one new whole all things in Him, and to bind together things below and things above, and to make those in heaven and those on earth into one flock. Christ therefore has been made for us both Peace and Goodwill; by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be glory and honour and might with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen

But what does it mean that the angel appears to shepherds keeping watch, and the glory of God shines around them, except that they deserve above others to see sublime things, who know how to preside over their faithful flocks with care? And while they themselves watch piously over their flock, divine grace flashes upon them more abundantly.

But we must ask why, when the Redeemer was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds in Judea, while a star, not an angel, led the Magi from the East to worship him. The reason is that for the Jews, as those who use reason, a rational creature—that is, an angel—was the proper herald; but the Gentiles, because they did not know how to use reason, were led to know the Lord not through a voice but through signs. Hence Paul also says: Prophecies were given to believers, not to unbelievers; but signs to unbelievers, not to believers; because prophecies were given to the former as believers, not unbelievers, and signs to the latter as unbelievers, not believers.

(ubi sup.) It was in a mystery that the Angel appeared to the shepherds while they were watching, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, implying that they are thought worthy above the rest to see sublime things who take a watchful care of their faithful flocks; and while they themselves are piously watching over them, the Divine grace shines widely round about them.

Therefore Abraham also, knowing the Father through the Word, who made heaven and earth, confessed Him to be God; and having learned, by an announcement [made to him], that the Son of God would be a man among men, by whose advent his seed should be as the stars of heaven, he desired to see that day, so that he might himself also embrace Christ; and, seeing it through the spirit of prophecy, he rejoiced. Wherefore Simeon also, one of his descendants, carried fully out the rejoicing of the patriarch, and said: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: a light for the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of the people Israel." And the angels, in like manner, announced tidings of great joy to the shepherds who were keeping watch by night. Moreover, Mary said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my salvation;" -the rejoicing of Abraham descending upon those who sprang from him,-those, namely, who were watching, and who beheld Christ, and believed in Him; while, on the other hand, there was a reciprocal rejoicing which passed backwards from the children to Abraham, who did also desire to see the day of Christ's coming. Rightly, then, did our Lord bear witness to him, saying, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad."

To Joseph the Angel appeared in a dream, as to one who might be easily brought to believe, but to the shepherds in visible shape as to men of a ruder nature. But the Angel went not to Jerusalem, sought not for Scribes and Pharisees, (for they were corrupt and tormented with envy.) But these were simple men living in the ancient practices of Moses and the Patriarchs. There is a certain road which leads by innocence to Philosophy.

US; But if perhaps the swaddling clothes are mean in your eyes, admire the Angels singing praises together If you despises” tile manger, raise your eyes a little, and behold the new star in heaven proclaiming to the world the Lord's nativity. If you believe the mean things, believe also the mighty. If you dispute about those which betoken His lowliness, look with reverence on what is high and heavenly.

But if we would rise to a more hidden meaning, I should say, that there were certain shepherd angels, who direct the affairs of men, and while each one of them was keeping his watch, an angel came at the birth of the Lord, and announced to the shepherds that the true Shepherd had arisen. For Angels before the coming of the Saviour could bring little help to those entrusted to them, for scarcely did one single Gentile believe in God. But now whole nations come to the faith of Jesus.

Let the shepherds take better care of their flock, and let the wise men spare their legs so long a journey; let them keep their gold to themselves.

The angel appears to the shepherds because of the simplicity of their character and their innocence, since they visibly imitate the way of life of the righteous, for the ancient patriarchs as well—Jacob, Moses, and David—were shepherds.

(Geometer.) They were alarmed at the miracle, as it follows, And they were afraid, &c. But the Angel dispels their rising fears. He not only soothes their terrors, but pours gladness into their hearts; for it follows, For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, &c. not to the Jewish people only, but to all. The cause of their joy is declared; the new and wonderful birth is made manifest by the very names. It follows, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. The first of these, i. e. the Saviour, has reference to the action, the third, i. e. the Lord, to the dignity of the person.

And they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Do not be afraid. Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Not for all the people of the Jews, of whom many were rebellious, but for all the faithful people gathered into one Church of Christ from all tribes, nations, and tongues, eternal and great joy is proclaimed.

(Hom. inter Hyem. de Sanctis v.) No where in the whole course of the Old Testament do we find that the Angels who so constantly appear to the Patriarchs, came with light. This privilege was rightly kept for this time when there arose in the darkness a light to them that were true of heart. Hence it follows, and the glory of God shone round about them. (Ps. 112:4.) He is sent forth from the womb, but He shines from heaven. He lies in a common inn, but He lives in celestial light.

As for the shining forth of angelic light, there follows: And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God, etc. In this, that he stood by them, he shows the familiarity and humility of the ministry by which the Angel condescends to man and stands by him, now as a helper, according to that of Daniel twelve: "Michael, the great prince, shall rise up, who standeth for the children of thy people"; now as an instructor and illuminator, according to that above, chapter one: "The Angel Gabriel appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense." In like manner also here; whence Ambrose: "An Angel instructs Mary, an Angel Joseph, an Angel the shepherds."

As a sign of this there is added: And the glory of God shone around them, that is, it shone about them. Something similar is said of the Angel who appeared to Peter, Acts 12: "Behold, the Angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the dwelling" of the prison. Now this Angel brought light because he was a son of light, and because he had come to announce him who "is the true light, which enlightens every man coming into this world," as is said in John 1. And therefore he brought light by night, to signify that what is said in Isaiah 9 was being fulfilled: "For those dwelling in the region of the shadow of death, a light has risen for them." Now from this brightness he made the shepherds troubled; on account of which there is added: And they feared with a great fear, just as Zacharias also at the sight of the Angel, above, chapter 1: "And Zacharias was troubled, and fear fell upon him."

And note that the Angel appeared to shepherds rather than to any other kind of men, partly because they were poor, for whose sake Christ was coming: the Psalm: "Because of the misery of the needy and the groaning of the poor, now I will arise"; and Bernard says: "How many altars today gleam with gold and gems! Do you think Angels will turn aside to these things and shun men dressed in rags? If it is so, why did they appear to shepherds of sheep rather than to kings of the earth, rather than to priests of the temple?" Also because they were simple: Proverbs 3: "Every mocker is an abomination to the Lord, and his conversation is with the simple"; and Matthew 11: "You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones." Also because they were watchful: Proverbs 8: "Those who watch for me in the morning shall find me"; Wisdom 6: "Those who keep vigil for her from the break of day shall quickly be secure." Or on account of the mystery, so that it might be intimated that the doctrine of truth ought to come from prelates to their subjects; whence the Gloss says: "Those who diligently preside over the faithful deserve above others to see sublime things."

(ubi sup.) It was in a mystery that the Angel appeared to the shepherds while they were watching, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, implying that they are thought worthy above the rest to see sublime things who take a watchful care of their faithful flocks; and while they themselves are piously watching over them, the Divine grace shines widely round about them.

The angel did not appear in Jerusalem to the Pharisees or scribes, for they were a receptacle of every kind of malice; but those shepherds, being without guile, were deemed worthy of divine visions. The Lord showed by this that from the very beginning He chose and made into preachers those who were more simple-hearted than others, for they went out and began to proclaim all these things.

There is an order of levels intended for enlightenment. Enlightenment through writings of primary importance pertains to the deacons. Wherefore they were also in the habit of preaching, as did Stephen, Lawrence, Vincent. Hence, in Luke the angel says to the shepherds: "I bring you good news of great joy." The deacon is such an angel.

And the Angel said to them etc. Here secondly is described the announcement inviting to exultation: in which is prefaced an exhortation to confidence and to joy, and there follows the announcement, expressing the cause of joy. Therefore the Angel, exhorting to confidence, said to them: Do not be afraid. For the Angel had not come to announce a terrible thing, but rather a desirable one, just as he who announced the resurrection to the women: Mark, last chapter: "Do not be afraid"; in which he grants the confidence of hoping. In this is recognized the difference between the Angel of light and of darkness, because the good Angel reassures, but the evil one ultimately terrifies. And what is more, he invites to joy: on account of which he adds: For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. This Raphael wished for Tobias, in chapter five, when he said: "May joy always be with you." With this the Magi rejoiced; Matthew 2: "And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy." And it is called great to distinguish it from the joy of hypocrites: Job 20: "The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment," and chapter 21: "They rejoice at the sound of the organ, they spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment they go down to hell." Great also, because abundant, which he notes when he adds: Which shall be to all the people, and this to distinguish it from the joy of the worldly: John 16: "The world shall rejoice, but you shall be sorrowful." On the contrary, below in chapter 13: "And all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him."

That Christ our God should come, the En-lightener and Saviour of the human race. In Isaiah: "Be comforted, ye weakened hands; and ye weak knees, be strengthened. Ye who are of a timorous heart, fear not. Our God will recompense judgment, He Himself will come, and will save us. Then shall be opened the eves of the blind, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then the lame man shall leap as a stag, and the tongue of the dumb shall be intelligible; because in the wilderness the water is broken forth, and the stream in the thirsty land." Also in that place: "Not an elder nor an angel, but the Lord Himself shall deliver them; because He shall love them, and shall spare them, and He Himself shall redeem them. Also in the same place: "I the Lord God have called Thee in righteousness, that I may hold Thine hand, and I will comfort Thee; and I have given Thee for a covenant of my people, for a light of the nations; to open the eyes of the blind, to bring forth them that are bound from chains, and those who sit in darkness from the prison-house. I am the Lord God, that is my name. I will not: give any glory to another, nor my powers to given images." Also in the twenty-fourth Psalm: "Show me Thy ways, Lord, and teach me Thy paths, and lead me unto Thy truth, and teach me; for Thou art the God of my salvation." Whence, in the Gospel according to John, the Lord says: "I am the light of the world. He that will follow me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Moreover, in that according to Matthew, the angel Gabriel says to Joseph: "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. For that which shall be born to her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." Also in that according to Luke: "And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath foreseen redemption for His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David." Also in the same. place, the angel said to the shepherds: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings that unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ Jesus."

It is coming in as something fresh and disturbing, whether as it came to the Greeks who were always seeking some new thing, or as it came to the shepherds who first heard the cry upon the hills of the good news that our language calls the Gospel. We can explain the fact of the Greeks in the time of St. Paul regarding it as a new thing, because it was a new thing. But who will explain why it is still as new to the last of the converts as it was to the first of the shepherds?

Why then did the angel not go to Jerusalem, why did he not seek out the scribes and Pharisees, why did he not enter the synagogue of the Jews, but found "shepherds living out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night" and announced it to them? Does the word not hint at anything but truly the presenting matter, that the angel came to such ignorant shepherds, and does it signify nothing other than that? But the angel announces Christ to the shepherds of the churches. For they, unless that shepherd comes, cannot well shepherd by themselves; their shepherding is incomplete, unless Christ co-works with them. "For," he says, "we are co-workers with God." And indeed he has appointed "in the church apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, shepherds, all for the perfecting of the saints."

The angel announced "great joy," which, he said, will be for all the people — specifically, for the people of God. For not all Jews are the people of God. But the incarnation of God was a joy for the entire human race as well.

(Geometer) He marks the time of our Lord's nativity, when he says, To-day, and the place when he adds, In the city of David; and the signs thereof when it follows, And there shall be a sign, &c. Now the Angels bring tidings to the shepherds of the Chief Shepherd, as of a lamb discovered and brought up in a cave.

Your faith, which has gathered you all here in this large crowd, is well aware that a Savior was born for us today. He was born of the Father always, of his mother once; of the Father without reference to sex, of his mother without the use of it. With the Father, of course, there was no womb to conceive him in; with his mother there was no male embrace to beget him. By the first nativity from the Father nature was preserved. By the second nativity from his mother the seeds of grace were sown. In the former he retained the majesty of the divine substance. In the latter he took on fellowship with us in our human mortality. And the reason he was prepared to come through this latter birth was so that he might become obedient to the death and by dying might conquer death.

For today a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. This is the first power, this is the kingdom of the daughter of Zion, which by the testimony of the aforesaid prophet was promised to come in the tower of the flock. Where it is noteworthy that the angel who indeed speaks to the shepherds in the watches of the night, did not say: This night but Today a Savior has been born to you. Indeed, for no other reason, but because he came to proclaim great joy. For where sorrow is signified to have been done or to be done at night, there often the night either is joined, or even alone is named. As it is said: All of you will fall away because of me this night (Matthew 26). And elsewhere: Truly I tell you, today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times (Mark 14). For it is not without reason that the angel appeared surrounded by such great light, so that it is said that the glory of God shone around the shepherds, that is, rays of light shone from every part of them, which is never added in the entire series of the Old Testament as so often when angels appeared. But mystically, he forewarned what the Apostle later openly warned, saying: The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light, let us walk properly, as in the day (Romans 13).

It is good that the angel said "has been born today" and did not say "this night." He appeared with heavenly light to those who were conducting the watch by night and brought the good news that day was born.… He who appeared temporally in the city of David as a human being from a virgin mother was, in truth, himself born before all time and without spatial limitation, light from light, true God from true God. Because, therefore, the light of life rose for those of us dwelling in the region of the shadow of death, the herald of this rising says, "A savior has been born to you today." So that being always advised by this word we may remember that the night of ancient blindness is past and the day of eternal salvation has arrived. Let us cast off the works of darkness. And let us walk as children of light, "for the fruit of the light is in all justice and holiness."

And because no one rejoices perfectly except from a cause and reason, therefore there follows an announcement expressing the cause of joy, when it is said: For today is born to you a Savior: to you, namely for your benefit, namely of men: Isaiah 9: "A little child is born to us, and a son is given to us." And truly for benefit, because a Savior: Isaiah 45: "Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior"; and Isaiah 19: "He will send them a Savior and a defender, who will deliver them." And truly a Savior, because, according to that passage of Acts 4, "There is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved." In this, moreover, is intimated the cause of rejoicing for the nativity: Malachi 4: "The sun of justice shall rise upon you who fear my name." Nor is one to rejoice only by reason of benefit, but also of dignity, and therefore it is added: Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David, and thus he will restore the kingdom of Israel, according to that passage of Isaiah 9: "He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it and strengthen it in judgment and justice, from henceforth and forever." And therefore Lord is rightly added, because, 1 Timothy 6, "He is the King of kings and Lord of lords"; and Revelation 19: "He had on his garment and on his thigh written: King of kings and Lord of lords." And therefore: in the city of David, that is, in Bethlehem, where he was born.

But that which is in the middle, namely, Christ, has reference to the adoration, and signifies not the nature, but the compound substance of two natures. For on Christ our Saviour we confess the anointing to have been performed, not however figuratively, (as formerly on kings by the oil,) and as if by prophetic grace, nor for the accomplishment of any work, as it is said in Isaiah, Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus; (Isa. 45.) who although he was an idolater was said to be anointed, that he might by the decree of Heaven take possession of the whole province of Babylon; but the Saviour as man in the form of a servant, was anointed by the Holy Spirit, as God He Himself by His Holy Spirit anoints those that believe on Him.

And the angel of the Lord, he says, appeared to the shepherds, proclaiming joy to them: "For [Luke 2:11, etc.] there is born in the house of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Then [appeared] a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory in the highest to God, and on earth peace, to men of good will." The falsely-called Gnostics say that these angels came from the Ogdoad, and made manifest the descent of the superior Christ. But they are again in error, when saying that the Christ and Saviour from above was not born, but that also, after the baptism of the dispensational Jesus, he, [the Christ of the Pleroma,] descended upon him as a dove. Therefore, according to these men, the angels of the Ogdoad lied, when they said, "For unto you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David." For neither was Christ nor the Saviour born at that time, by their account; but it was he, the dispensational Jesus, who is of the framer of the world, the [Demiurge], and upon whom, after his baptism, that is, after [the lapse of] thirty years, they maintain the Saviour from above descended. But why did [the angels] add, "in the city of David," if they did not proclaim the glad tidings of the fulfilment of God's promise made to David, that from the fruit of his body there should be an eternal King? For the Framer [Demiurge] of the entire universe made promise to David, as David himself declares: "My help is from God, who made heaven and earth;" and again: "In His hand are the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His. For the sea is His, and He did Himself make it; and His hands founded the dry land. Come ye, let us worship and fall down before Him, and weep in the presence of the Lord who made us; for He is the Lord our God." The Holy Spirit evidently thus declares by David to those hearing him, that there shall be those who despise Him who formed us, and who is God alone. Wherefore he also uttered the foregoing words, meaning to say: See that ye do not err; besides or above Him there is no other God, to whom ye should rather stretch out [your hands], thus rendering us pious and grateful towards Him who made, established, and [still] nourishes us. What, then, shall happen to those who have been the authors of so much blasphemy against their Creator? This identical truth was also what the angels [proclaimed]. For when they exclaim, "Glory to God in the highest, and in earth peace," they have glorified with these words Him who is the Creator of the highest, that is, of super-celestial things, and the Founder of everything on earth: who has sent to His own handiwork, that is, to men, the blessing of His salvation from heaven. Wherefore he adds: "The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all which they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." [Luke 2:20] For the Israelitish shepherds did not glorify another god, but Him who had been announced by the law and the prophets, the Maker of all things, whom also the angels glorified. But if the angels who were from the Ogdoad were accustomed to glorify any other, different from Him whom the shepherds [adored], these angels from the Ogdoad brought to them error and not truth.

And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The infancy of the Savior and the proclamations of angels and the testimonies of the evangelists have often been impressed upon us, so that it might be firmly fixed in our hearts what He became for us. For He was wounded for our iniquities, and He was made weak for our sins (Isaiah 53). And it should be noted more carefully that the sign of the born Savior is given, a baby not clothed in Tyrian purple, but wrapped in shabby clothes, not found in gold-adorned bedding, but in a manger. This is that not only the appearance of humility and mortality, but also of poverty, He took on for us. Because although He was rich, He became poor for us, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8). Although He was the Lord of the heavens, He became poor on earth, so that He might teach the earthly ones that through the poverty of the Spirit the kingdom of heaven can be acquired.

The infancy of the Saviour was impressed upon us, both by frequent heraldings of Angels and testimonies of Evangelists, that we might be the more deeply penetrated in our hearts by what has been done for us. And we may observe, that the sign given us of the newborn Saviour was, that He would be found not clothed in Tyrian purple, but wrapped in poor swaddling clothes, not laying on gilded couches, but in a manger.

And this shall be a sign to you, etc. After the disposition preparing for hearing and the announcement inviting to exultation, there follows here thirdly a confirmation assuring for believing. And since in the mouth of two witnesses every word must stand, therefore the shepherds are confirmed in a twofold manner: through sight and hearing; for these two senses above all serve us for knowing. First, therefore, they are assured through a probable sign, then through a credible testimony.

Therefore, as regards the persuasion of a probable sign, it is said: And this shall be a sign to you. For, according to what is said in First Corinthians 1, "Jews demand signs." And this the prophet David especially sought: "Make with me," he says, "a sign for good." This sign was to be sought: Isaiah 7: "Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God." This also was promised; Isaiah 11: "There shall be a root of Jesse, who stands as a sign for the peoples; the nations shall entreat him." And this shall be a sign to you: to you, I say, the poor, that he has come to free the poor, according to that verse of the Psalm: "He shall deliver the poor from the mighty, and the poor man who had no helper." Because you shall find the infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and thus poor and destitute: Zechariah 9: "Behold, your king shall come to you, just and a Savior. He himself poor and riding upon a donkey." Bernard: "Your swaddling clothes are set as a sign, Lord Jesus, but as a sign which today is contradicted by many. Many indeed are called, but few are chosen, and therefore there is no signing." To you also the humble, a sign that he has come to free the humble, according to that verse of the Psalm: "You shall save the humble people." In this, which is added: And laid in a manger: behold, wondrous humility, that it should bow the Lord of the heavens down even to the manger of brute animals: Isaiah 53: "We saw him, and there was no comeliness that we should desire him, despised and the last of men." Whence in the Psalm: "But I am a worm and not a man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people,"

And note that the shepherds were poor, simple, and contemptible; therefore, lest they should fear to approach, there was given to them in the infant Christ a sign of poverty and humility — and in this is signified how and by whom Christ is found. Whence First Corinthians 1: "See your vocation, brethren, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but the foolish things of the world the Lord has chosen," etc.; and therefore later in the same: "This one is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted"; and this, because through these signs he was not recognized by the carnal and the proud. Whence in the Psalm: "We have not seen our signs, there is no longer a prophet"; and again: "They set up their signs, signs."

(in Serm. Nativ. 4.) But if perhaps the swaddling clothes are mean in thy eyes, admire the Angels singing praises together. If thou despisest the manger, raise thy eyes a little, and behold the new star in heaven proclaiming to the world the Lord's nativity. If thou believest the mean things, believe also the mighty. If thou disputest about those which betoken His lowliness, look with reverence on what is high and heavenly.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will. When one messenger announced that God was born in the flesh, immediately a multitude of the heavenly host flew down, breaking forth with one mouth in praise of the Creator, so that they may offer their service and devotion to Christ as usual, and at the same time instruct us by their example, whenever any of the brothers resound the words of sacred teaching, or when we ourselves recall to mind things read or heard that are of piety, we should diligently render praises to God with mouth, heart, and deed. And appropriately the arriving chorus of angels receives the title of the heavenly host, who humbly obey that mighty leader in battle, who appeared to overthrow the powers of the air, and themselves vigorously drive away those opposing powers with heavenly weapons, so that they may not be able to tempt mortals as much as they wish. For just as all places are fortified against hostile invasion by the provision of the finest emperor's hand, so too God, since unclean spirits everywhere aim to overturn peace, has established the armies of angels for our protection, whose presence both breaks the audacity of demons and bestows upon us the grace of peace. And because God and man is born, rightly is peace sung to men and glory to God. The angels glorify God incarnate for our redemption, because while they see us being received, they rejoice that their own number may be replenished. They wish peace to men, because those whom they previously despised as weak and outcast, with the Lord being born in the flesh, they now venerate as companions. They proclaim peace to men, especially to men of good will, that is, to those who receive the born Christ, and not to Herod, the priests, and Pharisees, and other antichrists, who were troubled upon hearing of His birth and pursued Him with swords as much as they could. For there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord. But great peace is given to those who love Your name, O Lord, and nothing prevents them (Isaiah 48). To whom fittingly applies what follows: I hoped for Your salvation, O Lord (Psalm 118), that is, I longed for the coming Advent of Christ with the prolonged expectation of my desires.

Lest the authority of a single Angel should appear small, as soon as one had revealed the sacrament of the new birth, straightway there was present a multitude of the heavenly host. Rightly has the attending Chorus of Angels received the name of heavenly host, seeing they both humbly bring their aid to that Leader mighty in battle, Who has appeared to put down the powers of the air, and also themselves by their celestial arms bravely vanquish those opposing powers lest they should prevail as they wish in tempting men. But because He is both God and man, rightly do they sing Peace to men and Glory to God. As it follows, Praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest. As soon as one Angel, one messenger, had brought the good tidings that God was born in the flesh, the multitude of the heavenly host broke forth in the praise of the Creator, in order both to fix. their devotion on Christ, and to instruct us by their example, that as often as any of the brethren shall sound forth the word of sacred learning, or we ourselves shall have brought these holy things home to our minds, we should with our whole heart, our mouths and hands, return praise to God.

They wish also peace to men, as they add, On earth peace to men, because those whom they had before despised as weak and abject, now that our Lord has come in the flesh they esteem as friends.

For whom they ask peace is explained in the words, Of good will. For them, namely, who receive the new born Christ. For there, is no peace to the ungodly, (Isa. 57:20.) but much peace to them that love the name of God. (Ps. 119:165)

As for the persuasion of credible testimony, it is added: And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude; that is, there was with him to confirm equally the angelic word and to venerate the little one born, according to that passage in Hebrews 1: "When he brings the firstborn into the world, he says: And let all his Angels adore him." And it is pointedly said multitude, according to that passage in Hebrews 12: "You have come to Mount Sion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of Angels." And a multitude of the heavenly host: according to that passage in Job 25: "Is there any number of his soldiers?" And therefore 4 Kings 6: "Do not fear, said Elisha: for there are more with us than with them." And this appears at his birth, according to that passage in Revelation 19: "Behold, a white horse, and he who sat upon it, faithful and true"; "And the armies that are in heaven followed him." And this whole multitude, for the confirmation of the angelic word, bursts forth into the singing of a canticle; on account of which it is said: Praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will: Job 38: "Where were you, when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

This peace has been made through Christ, for He has reconciled us by Himself to God and our Father, (2 Cor. 5:18, 19, Eph. 2:16, Col. 1:20.) having taken away our guilt, which was the ground of offence also. He has united two nations in one man, and has joined the heavenly and the earthly in one flock.

He was wrapped in swaddling bands, but at the resurrection he released the swaddling bands of the grave. He was laid in a manger but was praised by angels, disclosed by a star and adored by magi.

Consider therefore, brothers, what is cheaper when purchased, what is more precious when possessed. But perhaps not even a cup of cold water is available to be offered to one in need; even then the divine word promises us security. For when the Redeemer was born, the citizens of heaven were revealed, who cried out: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. For before the eyes of God the hand is never empty of a gift, if the treasury of the heart has been filled with good will. Hence the Psalmist says: In me, O God, are your vows which I shall pay, praises to you. As if he were saying openly: Even if outwardly I do not have gifts to offer, yet within myself I find what I may place upon the altar of your praise, because you who are not fed by our giving are better pleased by the offering of the heart. For nothing richer than good will is offered to God. But good will is to fear the adversities of another as our own, to rejoice in the prosperity of our neighbor as in our own advancement, to consider the losses of others as our own, to reckon the gains of others as our own, to love a friend not for the sake of the world but for the sake of God, to tolerate even an enemy by loving him, to do to no one what you do not wish to suffer, to deny to no one what you justly desire to be rendered to yourself, not only to assist the needs of your neighbor according to your abilities, but to wish to help even beyond your abilities. What then is richer than this holocaust, when through what the soul sacrifices to God on the altar of the heart, it slays itself?

(28. Moral. sup. Job 38:7.) At the same time they also give praises because their voices of gladness accord well with our redemption, and while they behold our acceptance, they rejoice also that their number is completed.

Of old, indeed, Angels were sent to punish, as, for instance to the Israelites, to David, to the men of Sodom, to the valley of weeping. (Bochim. Judges 2:1.) Now on the other hand they sing the song of thanksgiving to God: because He hath revealed to them His coming down to men.

Behold the wonderful working of God. He first brings Angels down to men, and then brings men up to heaven. The heaven became earth, when it was about to receive earthly things.

But if we would rise to a more hidden meaning, I should say, that there were certain shepherd angels, who direct the affairs of men, and while each one of them was keeping his watch, an angel came at the birth of the Lord, and announced to the shepherds that the true Shepherd had arisen. For Angels before the coming of the Saviour could bring little help to those entrusted to them, for scarcely did one single Gentile believe in God. But now whole nations come to the faith of Jesus.

But in a mystery, the Angels saw that they could not accomplish the work committed to them without Him Who was truly able to save, and that their healing fell short of what the care of men required. And so it was as if there should come one who had great knowledge in medicine, and those who before were unable to heal, acknowledging now the hand of a master, grudge not to see the corruptions of wounds ceasing, but break forth into the praises of the Physician, and of that God who sent to them and to the sick a man of such knowledge; the multitudes of the Angels praised God for the coming of Christ.

We do not care a jot for that multitude of the heavenly host which praised their Lord at night. Let the shepherds take better care of their flock, and let the wise men spare their legs so long a journey; let them keep their gold to themselves.

"Glory be to God in the highest, and upon earth peace, good-will among men." We praise Thee, we sing hymns to Thee, we bless Thee; we glorify Thee, we worship Thee by Thy great High Priest; Thee who art the true God, who art the One Unbegotten, the only inaccessible Being. For Thy great glory, O Lord and heavenly King, O God the Father Almighty, O Lord God, the Father of Christ the immaculate Lamb, who taketh away the sin of the world, receive our prayer, Thou that sittest upon the cherubim. For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord Jesus, the Christ of the God of all created nature, and our King, by whom glory, honour, and worship be to Thee.

There is One that is holy; there is one Lord, one Jesus Christ, blessed for ever, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will among men. Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord," being the Lord God who appeared to us, "Hosanna in the highest."

Man is unable to rule over the lower things unless he in turn submits to the rule of a higher being. And this is the peace that is promised "on earth to men of good will." This is the life of a man of consummate and perfect wisdom. The prince of this world, who rules over the perverse and disorderly, has been cast out of a thoroughly pacified and orderly kingdom of this kind. When this peace has been established and strengthened within a man, then he who has been cast out—no matter what persecutions he may stir up from without increases the glory that is according to God.

(13. de Trin. cap. 13) For righteousness belongs to good will.

Glory to God in the highest etc. Note that God is to be glorified in the incarnation, because, as Damascene says, in this work "the sublime goodness, wisdom, power, and justice of God are demonstrated." Glory therefore to God in the highest for his goodness, because he did not despise the weakness of his own handiwork: Galatians 1: "He gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present wicked world: to him be glory forever and ever! Amen." For his wisdom, because he found a supremely fitting solution to the most difficult problem; Romans 11: "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" and it follows: "To him be glory forever! Amen." For his power: for what is more powerful than that God should become man? Romans 4: "Abraham was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, most fully knowing that whatever God has promised, he is able also to do"; and Ephesians 3: "Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we ask or understand, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations, world without end! Amen." For his justice, because he saved like by like; Revelation 5: "To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power forever and ever!" Therefore it is sung: Glory to you, O Lord, who were born of the Virgin!

And note that they attribute glory to God because the Lord reserved it for himself: Isaiah forty-two: "I am the Lord, this is my name: my glory I will not give to another"; but they wish peace for us on earth, because, John fourteen, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you." And rightly he says: Of good will, because, according to that passage of Isaiah fifty-seven, "there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord." And he places the glory of God before the peace of earth, because no one can have peace who strives to usurp the glory of God. Bernard: "The angelic division displeases men, by which glory is announced to God and peace to men. O foolish sons of Adam, who, despising peace and craving glory, lose both peace and glory!" Certainly he who craves glory resists God; but it is said in Job nine: "Who has resisted him and had peace?" "Acquiesce therefore to him, and have peace," as it is said in Job twenty-two, namely peace of the heart, concerning which it is said at Philippians four: "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," etc.; and the peace of eternity, concerning which in the last chapter of Isaiah: "I will turn upon her a river of peace"; the Psalm: "Who makes your borders peace."

Note also that peace is wished for and announced to men, because through Christ man is pacified with God; Isaiah twenty-seven: "He will make peace with me, peace he will make with me." He is pacified with the Angels: Colossians one: "Making peace through the blood of his cross, whether the things on earth or the things in heaven." He is pacified with man: Ephesians two: "He himself is our peace, who made both one." He is pacified in himself; Job five: "You shall know that your tabernacle has peace." In figure of these things it is said in Joshua twenty-one: "Peace was given by him to all round about." This the Apostle always wishes, and Christ commands below in the tenth chapter: "Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace to this house."

At the birth, particularly, of the Lord Christ according to the flesh, the whole multitude of the invisible powers, having seen him born through whom comes the destruction of death, the beginning of the renovation and the resurrection, and their own freedom, lifted up their voices in hymns of praise to God, the cause of all, exclaiming: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. Then away were thrown at last all the sorrow and dejection which at one time they had suffered on account of man, and they gave expression to their joy at the birth of the second Adam. Wherefore they also, at the time of his temptations, remembering how in the days of old they had witnessed the discomfiture of the first Adam, which had filled them with dismay, but seeing now the victory of the second Adam, and how fairly not once but thrice in close grip with his tempter he had flung him out of the lists—they, I say, rejoiced with a great joy, and were eager in bestowing their services, as scripture has recorded, not now as if prompted by some hope, but because, having seen with their own eyes the victory of the second Adam, they came to minister to him with joyful alacrity

he again who noted down the doxology of the multitude of the host of the angels, who were rejoicing and exulting at the birth of the Lord Christ according to the flesh, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure among men, now putting away from themselves the old dejection brought upon them through the first-made man, and rejoicing at the birth of the second Adam.

Any one who heard the multitudinous host of the heavenly ranks singing in chorus and rejoicing and exulting at the birth of our Lord Christ according to the flesh, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good-will to men, would be astonished beyond measure as he reflected that the inhabitants of heaven and of earth had joined in making one confession, and that God was well pleased with men.

Look not upon him who was laid in the manger as a babe merely, but in our poverty see him who as God is rich, and in the measure of our humanity him who prospers those in heaven, and who therefore is glorified even by the angels. And how noble was the hymn, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and among men good will!" The angels and archangels, thrones and lordships, and the seraphim are at peace with God. Never in any way do they oppose his good pleasure but are firmly established in righteousness and holiness. But we wretched beings, by having set up our own lusts in opposition to the will of our Lord, had put ourselves into the position of his enemies. Christ has abolished this. "For he is our peace" and has united us by himself to God the Father. He has taken away from the middle the cause of the enmity and so justifies us by faith, makes us holy and without blame, and calls near to him those who were far off. Besides this, he has created the two people into one new man, so making peace and reconciling both in one body to the Father. For it pleased God the Father to form into one new whole all things in him, and to bind together things below and things above, and to make those in heaven and those on earth into one flock. Christ therefore has been made for us both peace and goodwill.

As peace began to be established, the angels proclaimed: "Glory in the highest and peace on earth." When lower beings received peace from superior beings, "they cried, Glory on earth and peace in the heavens." At that time when the divinity came down and was clothed in humanity, the angels cried, "Peace on earth." And at the time when that humanity ascended in order to be absorbed into the divinity and sit on the right, "Peace in heaven," the infants were crying forth before him, "Hosanna in the highest." Hence the apostle also learned that one should say, "He made peace by the blood of his cross for that which is in heaven and on earth." A further interpretation is that the angels cried forth: "Glory in the highest and peace on earth," and that the children cried out, "Peace in heaven and glory on earth." This is to show that just as the grace of his mercy gave joy to sinners on earth, so too their repentance gave joy to the angels in heaven. "Glory to God!" came from free will. Peace and reconciliation were for those against whom he was angry, and hope and remission were for the guilty.

An angel announces the King's birth, and choirs of angels join their voices with his, and rejoicing together they cry out: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. Indeed, before our Redeemer was born in the flesh, we were at discord with the angels, from whose brightness and purity we stood far distant through the guilt of the first sin and through our daily transgressions. For since by sinning we were estranged from God, the angels, citizens of God, regarded us as strangers from their fellowship. But because we have come to know our King, the angels have recognized us as their fellow citizens. For since the King of heaven assumed the earth of our flesh, that angelic majesty no longer despises our weakness. The angels return to peace with us, they set aside the intent of their former discord; and those whom they had previously despised as weak and cast off, they now honor as companions. This is why Lot and Joshua worshipped angels and were not forbidden to worship; but John in his Apocalypse wished to worship an angel, yet that same angel restrained him from worshipping him, saying: See that you do not do this, for I am your fellow servant and of your brethren. Why is it that before the Redeemer's coming angels are worshipped by men and remain silent, but afterward they refuse to be worshipped, unless it is that our nature, which they had previously despised, they now fear to see prostrate before them after they behold it assumed above themselves? Nor do they now dare to scorn as weak what is beneath them, since they venerate it above themselves in the King of heaven. Nor do they disdain to have man as a companion, since they adore man as God above themselves.

In heaven, where there is no discord, glory rules. On earth, where every day is warfare, peace prevails. Peace among whom? Among men. Why are the Gentiles without peace? Why, too, the Jews? That is exactly the reason for the qualification: Peace among men of good will, among those who acknowledge the birth of Christ.

Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon earth, and humankind gone up to heaven. Today, for the sake of humankind, the invisible one is seen in the flesh. Therefore let us glorify him and cry aloud: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace bestowed by your coming, Savior: glory to you!Today in Bethlehem, I hear the angels: glory to God in the highest! Glory to him whose good pleasure it was that there be peace on earth! The Virgin is now more spacious than the heavens. Light has shone on those in darkness, exalting the lowly who sing like the angels: Glory to God in the highest! Beholding him [Adam] who was in God's image and likeness fallen through transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, without change taking up his dwelling in a virgin womb, that he might refashion Adam fallen in corruption, and crying out: glory to your epiphany, my Savior and my God!

Tremendous, verily, is the mystery connected with thee, O virgin mother, thou spiritual throne, glorified and made worthy of God. Thou hast brought forth, before the eyes of those in heaven and earth, a pre-eminent wonder. And it is a proof of this, and an irrefragable argument, that at the novelty of thy supernatural child-bearing, the angels sang on earth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men," by their threefold song bringing in a threefold holiness.

And the angelic host joins in the hymn saying, "Glory to God in the highest," and, "Peace on earth among men of goodwill," since they had labored to assist people and saw that they could not accomplish the work entrusted to them without the Savior. Through "peace on earth," it is revealed that good things be brought about on earth and in heaven through His visitation. For since God's angels saw men as enemies due to sins, they sought to make them friends and did what they could to heal them, yet they were not healed; seeing Him who would heal, they glorified and said, "Peace on earth." But one may inquire within the text: if the Savior says, "I did not come to bring peace on earth, but a sword," how then do the angels at his birth say, "Peace on earth"? He Himself says elsewhere, "Peace I leave with you." But if it were only written, "Peace on earth," stopping there and the text ended at that point, the question would have a point. Now the addition solves the inquiry, which also follows: "peace on earth" is: "among men of good will." If the Savior says that He does not give "peace on earth," it is not "peace of good will." For He does not deny giving peace, but simply says: "I have not come to bring peace on earth." He did not say "peace of good will;" but the angels spoke these things to the shepherds.

But the attentive reader will ask, How then does the Saviour say, I came not to send peace on the earth, whereas now the Angels' song of His birth is, On earth peace to men? It is answered, that peace is said to be to men of goodwill. For the peace which the Lord does not give on the earth is not the peace of good will.

What does the song of the Angels mean? Without doubt, it is the thanksgiving of the heavenly ranks and their joy that we who live on earth have been blessed. For they say: "Glory... to God,... on earth peace has now come." Before, human nature was at enmity with God, but now it has been so reconciled that it has entered into union with God and has been united with Him in the incarnation. So then, do you see the peace of God with man? It can also be understood in another way. The Son of God Himself is peace, as He also says of Himself (John 14:27, 16:33). So then, peace itself, the Son of God, appeared on earth. And "good will among men," that is, the repose of God; for now God has found rest and has found good pleasure in men, whereas before He did not take pleasure and did not find in men anything pleasing to Himself.

(Geometer.) The shepherds were filled with astonishment at the things that they saw and heard, and so they left their sheep-folds, and set out by night to Bethlehem, seeking for the light of the Saviour; and therefore it is said, They spoke one to another, &c.

And it happened that as the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds spoke to one another. Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this word that has happened, which the Lord has made and shown to us. Consider carefully how reasonable are the words of the shepherds, and worthy of the pastors of the Church. For indeed, as if keeping watch, they did not say: Let us see the child, let us see what is said, but: Let us see the word that has happened: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh (John 1). Let us see the Word that has always been, how it has been made for us, what the Lord has made and shown to us. This Word, it made itself: inasmuch as this very Word is the Lord. Let us see, therefore, how this very Word, that is, the Lord himself, made himself, and showed his flesh to us. For what we could not see while it was the Word, let us see made because it is flesh. It is similar to what John says: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the word of life, and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you eternal life which was with the Father, and appeared to us (1 John 1).

As men who were truly watching, they said not, Let us see (the child; but) the word which has come to pass, i. e. the Word which was from the beginning, let us see how it has been made flesh for us. since this very Word is the Lord. For it follows, Which the Lord hath made, and has shown to us; i. e. Let us see how the Lord hath made Himself, and hath shown His flesh to us.

To speak in a mystery, let the shepherds of spiritual flocks, (nay, all the faithful,) after the example of these shepherds, go in thought even to Bethlehem, and celebrate the incarnation of Christ with due honours. Let us go indeed casting aside all fleshly lusts, with the whole desire of the mind even to the heavenly Bethlehem, (i. e. the house of the living bread,) that He whom they saw crying in the manger we may deserve to see reigning on the throne of His Father. And such bliss as this is not to be sought for with sloth and idleness, but with eagerness must we follow the footsteps of Christ. When they saw Him they knew Him; and let us haste to embrace in the fulness of our love those things which were spoken of our Saviour, that When the time shall come that we shall see with perfect knowledge we may be able to comprehend them.

As for the mutual exchange of exhortation, it is said: And it came to pass, when the Angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds spoke to one another, namely exhorting one another, according to Hebrews 3: "See to it, brothers, that there not be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, but exhort one another every day." And rightly so, because "iron is sharpened by iron, and a man sharpens the face of his friend."

As for the rectitude of intention, it is added secondly: Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this word that has come to pass. They wished to go over in order to see, just as Moses; Exodus 3: "I will go and see this great vision." And they wished to see the word that has come to pass, that is, a reality worthy of the word, or indeed the Word made flesh, according to John 1: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw his glory." Made, I say, not by man, but by God; whence he adds: Which the Lord has made, that is, the whole Trinity; Isaiah 64: "When you shall do wondrous things, we shall not endure; for you descended, and the mountains melted before your face." Nor did he only make it, but also showed it to us. This David prayed: "Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation"; and the Lord promised: "I will show him my salvation."

But in a mystery, the Angels saw that they could not accomplish the work committed to them without Him Who was truly able to save, and that their healing fell short of what the care of men required. And so it was as if there should come one who had great knowledge in medicine, and those who before were unable to heal, acknowledging now the hand of a master, grudge not to see the corruptions of wounds ceasing, but break forth into the praises of the Physician, and of that God who sent to them and to the sick a man of such knowledge; the multitudes of the Angels praised God for the coming of Christ.

These shepherds are a type of the spiritual shepherds — the bishops. Thus, bishops must guard their flock and play, that is, sing something spiritual and teach the people, and then they will be deemed worthy of divine visions and hearings.

How remarkably Scripture weighs the import of each word. For when we behold the flesh of the Lord, we behold the Word, which is the Son. Let not this seem to you a slight example of faith, because of the humble character of the shepherds. For simplicity is sought for, not pride. It follows, And they came in haste. For no one indolently seeks after Christ.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. The shepherds hasten to Christ whom they recognize, desiring with all the intent of their mind to see His coming. For Christ's presence is not to be sought with idleness. And therefore, perhaps some seeking are not worthy to find because they seek Christ sluggishly. Therefore these shepherds found Him without delay because they ran to Him with unfeigned faith, to whom hastening to go is not to quicken the steps of the feet, but to advance always in faith and virtue. They found, it says, Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. But also the shepherds of the Lord's flock, as they are more frequently and sweetly elevated by the heavenly oracle amid the darkness of this life, so more fervently they approach the sublime life of the preceding fathers, in which the bread of life is always preserved and refreshes, as contemplating they enter the gates of Bethlehem, and they find nothing else in it than the virginal beauty of the Catholic Church, as Mary, the virile company of spiritual teachers, as Joseph, and the humble coming of the Mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, inserted in the pages of Holy Scripture, as a babe lying in a manger, Christ in the first vision they encounter. From the manger of the holy Scriptures that eminent animal and most sacred host was fed, which exultingly proclaimed: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23). And a little later: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (Ibid.). And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child, because it is indeed of just order that, having known, loved, and celebrated with worthy honor the Incarnation of the Word, by the sharpness of a prolonged exercise of the mind more capable, one may eventually attain to behold the glory of the Word Itself.

Again, the shepherds of the Lord's flock by contemplating the life of the fathers who went before them, (which preserved the bread of life,) enter as it were the gates of Bethlehem, and find therein none other than the virgin beauty of the Church, that is, Mary; the manly company of spiritual doctors, that is, Joseph; and the lowly coming of Christ contained in the pages of Holy Scripture, that is, the infant child Christ, laid in the manger.

As for the promptness of execution, it is added thirdly: And they came with haste. And this is what is said in Proverbs 9: "Teach a just man, and he will hasten to receive." This haste was a sign of interior promptness, by which they wished to be presented before the divine sight; Proverbs 22: "Have you seen a man swift in his work? He shall stand before kings." Whence they said within themselves that word from Hebrews 4: "Let us hasten to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall into the same example of unbelief."

Note that for one wishing spiritually to find Christ, these three things are necessary: namely, to converse through meditation on the Scriptures; Sirach 9: "Deal with the wise and the prudent"; "And let all your discourse be in the precepts of the Most High." To pass over through contemplation of creatures: Song of Songs 3: "I will rise and go about the city; through the streets and squares I will seek him whom my soul loves"; and afterwards: "When I had passed a little beyond them, I found him whom my soul loves"; and Sirach 24: "Come over to me, all you who desire me, and be filled from my fruits." To hasten through the tasting of graces; Song of Songs 2: "Arise, make haste, my beloved"; and Song of Songs 5: "I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved," etc. And therefore above in chapter one it is said of Mary that "she went into the hill country with haste."

And they found Mary etc. Here secondly the diligence of the shepherds is commended from the certainty of their discovery, the praise of which is gathered from three things: because it was confirmed with certainty, swiftly made known, and preserved in memory.

First indeed it was confirmed with certainty, because through probable and evident signs; on account of which it is said: And they found Mary and Joseph and the infant laid in the manger. Therefore they found, because they sought diligently and without pretense: whence it is said in Wisdom chapter one: "In simplicity of heart seek Him, for He is found by those who do not tempt Him." And note that He is found with Mary the virgin and Joseph, the just man, and in the manger, because he who wishes to find Christ must have purity with respect to himself, justice with respect to his neighbor, humility and reverence with respect to God. And these are the three gifts which the kings offer to the infant Christ, and therefore He willed to be found by them; Matthew chapter two: "And entering the house, they found the child with Mary, His mother, and falling down they adored Him, and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh." In this we are also instructed that, if we wish to find Christ, we ought first to approach Mary; for of her it is said above in chapter one: "You have found grace with the Lord." She therefore found grace and mercy before Ahasuerus "above all women," as it is said in Esther chapter two. And therefore "let us approach with confidence the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace for timely aid."

But because they came in haste, and not with loitering steps, it follows, They found Mary, (i. e. her who had brought Jesus into the, world,) and Joseph, (i. e. the guardian of our Lord's birth,) and the babe lying in the manger, (i. e. the Saviour Himself.)

That was the manger which Israel knew not, according to those words of Isaiah, The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. (Isa. 3:1.)

Bethlehem means house of bread. And what other house of bread is this but the church, in which that bread is stored? Thus, it is the duty of the rational shepherds to seek the heavenly bread.

(Photius) Beholding with hidden faith indeed the happy events which had been told them, and not content with marvelling at the reality of those things which at the very first they saw and embraced when the Angel told them, they began to relate them not only to Mary and Joseph, but to the others also, (and what is more they impressed them on their minds,) as it follows, And all who heard it marvelled. For how could it be otherwise, at the sight of one of the heavenly host upon earth, and earth in peace reconciled to heaven; and that ineffable Child binding together in one, by His divinity, heavenly things, by His humanity, earthly things, and by this conjunction of Himself effecting a wonderful union!

The shepherds did not keep silent about the hidden mysteries that they had come to know by divine influence. They told whomever they could. Spiritual shepherds in the church are appointed especially for this, that they may proclaim the mysteries of the Word of God and that they may show to their listeners that the marvels which they have learned in the Scriptures are to be marveled at.

It seems to succeed in due order, that after having rightly celebrated the incarnation of the Word, we should at length come to behold the actual glory of that Word. Hence it follows: But when they saw it, they made known the word which had been spoken to them.

The shepherds did not hide in silence what they knew, because to this end have the Shepherds of the Church been ordained, that what they have learned in the Scriptures they might explain to their hearers.

And because this sign was given by the Angel, therefore it is added: But seeing, they recognized concerning the word that had been spoken to them about this child, namely, that it was true. Whence they could now say that word of the Samaritans to the Angel himself: "We no longer believe because of your speech, for we ourselves have heard and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." Truly they recognized, because they were of the sheep of that Shepherd, who says in John chapter ten: "I know Mine, and Mine know Me." This Job desired in chapter twenty-three: "Who will grant me that I may know and find Him and come even to His throne?"

And when they see this bread, it is their obligation to proclaim it to others as well, just as the shepherds, having seen the Infant, told others about Him.

And all who heard were amazed at what was spoken to them by the shepherds. By the shepherds, the people are driven to the reverence of God. Do not consider this example of faith to be trivial, nor the person of the shepherds to be insignificant. Certainly, the less they are esteemed for their prudence, the more precious they are for their faith. The Lord chose not the wise but the simple, who would not know how to embellish what they heard, to be His heralds; He appointed fishermen, not orators, to evangelize. Indeed, even in the Old Testament, He ordained shepherds as the primary messengers of His dispensation. The first martyr Abel, who dedicated the innocent conduct of his pastoral duty with his own blood and whose blood, in the figure of the Lord's passion, cries out from the ground, offered the first fruits of his flock to the Lord as a devoted shepherd. Abraham, the father of faith, who rejoiced to see the day of Christ and saw it and was glad, is described not as seeking gold mines to obtain ornaments for his worship but as digging to find water sources to water his flocks. Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, was tormented by heat and frost for twenty years while tending the flocks, a figure of the true shepherd who, with the variety of his virtues shown between the waters of salvific doctrine, was elevated to a higher state. Moses, the lawgiver, who first, as a type of the sevenfold Church, defended seven sisters who were pasturing from the outrage of the shepherds until they could water their flock, and later, in the pastures of the desert, earned the privilege of seeing and speaking with the Lord, performing signs with the pastoral staff, and liberating God's people. David himself, whom our Lord deigned to be called and to be the son of, by rescuing his father's ram from the hand of the bear or the lion, showed that from his stock and city the one would be born who, unrivaled, would rescue the poor from the hand of the stronger one, and the needy and poor from those who prey upon them. Therefore, the witness of the shepherds should not be considered of little value, who then were worthy not only to see but also to hear the hymn of angelic exultation, when, leaving the ninety-nine sheep in the desert, the Good Shepherd appeared to seek the hundredth sheep. The whole flock of the faithful, always longing for His coming, implores: I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, Lord (Psalm 118).

Not only was it approved with certitude, but also swiftly made known: wherefore it is added: And all who heard marveled, namely at the little child born, and at the things that were told them by the shepherds, which they had heard from the Angel. Whence it is said of the just man in Ecclesiasticus 11: "Many marveled at him and glorified God." For they saw that the words of the shepherds were not to be despised but to be wondered at: Ambrose: "Do not think the words of the prophets contemptible as though lowly; from the shepherds even Mary gathers faith, from the shepherds the people is assembled to reverence God: for the Lord sought out a simple folk, who knew not how to embellish or paint over what they had heard." They marveled also because the little child did not appear to them contemptible but wonderful. Whence Isaiah 9: "A little child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and his name shall be called Wonderful." For everywhere Christ appears wondrous, not only in being born, as here, but also in advancing; below in the same chapter: "And they were astonished at his wisdom and his answers." Wonderful also in teaching — below in chapter 4: "They marveled at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth." Wonderful in keeping silence; Mark 15: "But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled." Wonderful in action; below in chapter 8: "Who, do you think, is this, that he commands both the winds and the sea, and they obey him?" Wonderful in his passion: Mark 15: "But Pilate marveled that he had already died," etc. Wonderful in his resurrection: Luke, last chapter: "Peter, seeing the linen cloths laid by themselves, went away, wondering within himself at what had happened." Wonderful in his ascension: Psalm: "O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth! For your magnificence is exalted above the heavens." Wonderful in the final judgment: Wisdom 8: "I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of the wise I shall be wonderful."

Not only do they marvel at the mystery of the incarnation, but also at so wonderful an attestation of the shepherds, men who could not have devised these unheard of things, but were with simple eloquence proclaiming the truth.

Esteem not the words of the shepherds as mean and despicable. For from the shepherds Mary increases her faith, as it follows: Mary kept all these sayings, and pondered them in her heart. Let us learn the chastity of the sacred Virgin in all things, who no less chaste in her words than in her body, gathered up in her heart the materials of faith.

(Metaphrastes) Whatever the Angel had said unto her, whatever she had heard from Zacharias, and Elisabeth, and the shepherds, she collected them all in her mind, and comparing them together, perceived in all one harmony. Truly, He was God who was born from her.

But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. What does it mean when it says, "pondering"? It should have said, "considered in her heart," and "kept in her heart," but because she had read the holy Scriptures, and knew the prophets, she compared those things that happened to her regarding the Lord with those things she knew were written by the prophets about the Lord, and having compared them with each other, she recognized as the cherubim of heaven the unity of her own vision. For Gabriel had said: "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son" (Luke 1). Isaiah had foretold: "Behold, a virgin will conceive, and bear a son" (Isaiah 7). Micah had foretold the daughters of Zion coming to the tower of the flock, and that the first dominion would then come. The shepherds said that the cohorts of the heavenly city appeared to them in the tower of the flock, who were singing that Christ was born. Mary had read: "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib" (Isaiah 1). She saw in the manger the Son of God as a baby crying, who saves both men and animals; and in these individual things and such, she compared what she had read, and compared with what she heard and saw.

Abiding by the rules of virginal modesty, Mary wished to divulge to no one the secret things which she knew about Christ. She reverently waited for the time and place when he would wish to divulge them. However, though her mouth was silent, in her careful, watchful heart she weighed these secret things. And this is what the Evangelist says, pondering in her heart—indeed, she weighed those acts which she saw in relation to those things which she had read were to be done. Now she saw that she herself, who had arisen from the stock of Jesse, had conceived God's Son of the Holy Spirit. She had read in the prophet, "A shoot will sprout from the root of Jesse, and a 'nazareus' will ascend from his root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him." She had read, "And you, Bethlehem Ephratha, are a little one among the thousands of Judah. Out of you will come forth for me the one who is ruler in Israel, and his coming forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity." She saw that she had given birth in Bethlehem to the Ruler of Israel, who was born eternal from the Father, God before the ages. She saw that she had conceived as a virgin, and given birth to a son, and called his name Jesus. She had read in the prophets, "Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel." She had read, "An ox recognizes its owner and an ass its master's manger." She saw the Lord lying in a manger, where an ox and an ass used to come to be nourished. She remembered that it had been said to her by the angel, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so the holy one who will be born from you will be called the Son of God." She had read that the manner of his nativity could be recognized only by the revelation of an angel, in accordance with Isaiah's saying, "Who will tell of his generation?" She had read, "And you, tower of the flock, misty daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former power shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem." She heard that angelic powers, who are daughters of the city on high, had appeared to shepherds in a place which was in former times called "tower of the flock" from the gathering of cattle—and this is one mile to the east of Bethlehem. There, even now, the three tombs of these shepherds are pointed out in a church. She then knew that the Lord had come in the flesh, whose power is one and eternal with the Father, and he would give to his daughter the church the kingdom of the heavenly Jerusalem. Mary was comparing these things which she had read were to occur with those which she recognized as already having occurred. Nevertheless she did not bring these things forth from her mouth but kept them closed up in her heart.

For keeping the laws of virgin modesty, she who had known the secrets of Christ would divulge them to no one, but comparing what she had read in prophecy with what she now acknowledged to have taken place, she did not utter them with the mouth, but preserved them shut up in her heart.

It was also, thirdly, preserved in memory: whence it is added: But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart: as one prudent and discerning, according to Proverbs 3: "Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them about your neck, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart"; and Ecclesiasticus 50: "He who lays these things in his heart shall always be wise." Contrariwise it is said of the fool in Ecclesiasticus 21: "The heart of a fool is like a broken vessel, and it will hold no wisdom." Whence the Virgin was an ark containing the secrets of the divine utterances: and therefore she is designated by the ark of Moses, of which it is said in Hebrews 9 that it contained the tablets of the divine law. And because she not only preserved but also understood: therefore it is added: Pondering them in her heart, so that she could say that word of the Psalm: "In my heart I have hidden your words."

What words did the Virgin "keep"? Some say those which the Angel spoke to Her, and those which the shepherds told Her. She preserved them and "pondered them in Her heart," that is, she considered them and found in all of them one harmonious thought: that Her Son is God. But it seems to me that here "words" means events; it is as if to say: Mary "kept all these words," that is, those events of which I am now speaking, and by doing so I make them into words. For an event, when someone speaks of it, becomes a word.

(non occ.) But every one rejoiced in the nativity of Christ, not with human feelings, as men are wont to rejoice when a son is born, but at the presence of Christ and the lustre of the Divine light. As it follows: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for every thing they had heard, &c.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. The shepherds glorify and praise God for all the things they had heard from the angels, and seen in Bethlehem, as it was told unto them, that is, they glorify also in this, that upon coming they found nothing else than what had been told unto them; or as it was told unto them, they give glory and praise to God. For indeed the angels commanded them to do this, not with commanding words, but offering the form of their devotion, when they resonated with unanimous exultation "Glory to God in the highest." For he who says: "I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Here above), indeed provokes to glorify and praise God. But also the shepherds of spiritual flocks, while the others are sleeping, sometimes ascend by contemplation of the heavens, sometimes go around surveying the camps of the faithful and seeking examples of virtue, and sometimes return to the public duties of the pastoral office by teaching, so that they may proclaim to their neighbors the memory of the abundance of the sweetness of God, which they had tasted by a fleeting vision (Psalm CXLV).

That is to say, from the Angels, and had seen, i. e. in Bethlehem, as it was told them, i. e. they glory in this, that when they came they found it even as it was told them, or as it was told them they give praise and glory to God. For this they were told by the Angels to do, not in very word commanding them, but setting before them the form of devotion when they sung glory to God in the highest.

The masters of the spiritual flocks also, while others sleep, at one time by contemplation enter into the heavenly places, at another time pass around them by seeking the examples of the faithful, at another time by teaching return to the public duties of the pastoral office.

Every one of us, even he who is supposed to live as a private person, exercises the office of shepherd, if, keeping together a multitude of good actions and pure thoughts, he strive to rule them with due moderation, to feed them with the food of the Scriptures, and to preserve them against the snares of the devil.

And the shepherds returned etc. Here the diligence of the shepherds is commended on account of the gratitude of devotion. For devotion to be acceptable to God, it is necessary that the hand, the mind, and the tongue resound and harmonize together: the hand by working, the tongue by praising, the mind by recognizing. The devotion of the shepherds was therefore praiseworthy on account of due operation, by reason of which it is said: The shepherds returned, namely to the custody of the flock entrusted to them. In this the devout are instructed that after the contemplation of the Savior they should return to the exercise of action: Ezekiel 1: "The living creatures went and returned in the likeness of a flash of lightning"; and below, chapter 8: "Return to your house and tell how great things God has done for you." A figure of this is found in Joshua 2: "The spies returned and descended from the mountain and came to Joshua." In this is signified that in time of temptation one must have recourse to prayer and afterwards return to action.

It was also praiseworthy on account of due thanksgiving, by reason of which is added: Glorifying and praising God: Ecclesiasticus 43: "Glorify the Lord as much as you can: he will yet surpass, and his magnificence is wonderful. Blessing the Lord, exalt him as much as you can: he is greater than all praise." Against this it is said of the wise of this world, Romans 1: "Because when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." And therefore he who does not wish to be blinded must give thanks to God for his benefits: therefore it is said, Colossians 3: "All that you do in word or in work, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God."

It was also praiseworthy on account of due recognition, by reason of which is added: In all things which they had heard and seen, as it was told to them: whence they could say that word of the Psalm: "As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of our God." Then was verified that word of the Psalm: "Behold, we heard of it in Ephrata, we found it in the fields of the forest." And note that it says: In all things which they had heard and seen, — in which is shown the fullness of gratitude: Ephesians 5: "Be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to God, giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." And note the order in which he says: In all things which they had heard and seen: because, Isaiah 7, according to another reading, "unless you believe, you will not understand"; but Romans 10: "Therefore faith comes by hearing," but understanding comes by sight, below, chapter 10: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see"; Job, last chapter: "By the hearing of the ear I heard you, but now my eye sees you."

The shepherds returned with thanksgiving to God for all things; for they were not envious like the Jews.