عن الثيوفانيا أو ميلاد المسيح – عظة للقديس غريغوريوس اللاهوتي

Christmas Rosary (*),

1 ـ وُلد المسيح فمجدوه، أتى المسيح من السموات فاستقبلوه، أتى المسيح إلى الأرض فعظموه “سبحي الرب يا كل الأرض” (مز1:96).

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad for the heavenly One who has come to earth.

Christ became incarnate. Rejoice with joy and fear. Fear because of sin, and joy because of hope.

Christ came from a virgin, so live as virgins so that you women may become mothers of Christ.

Who does not worship the One who was from the beginning? Who does not glorify the One who is the last?

2- The darkness clears up again(1)Once again the light shines. Once again darkness falls as punishment on Egypt.(2)Once again, God's people are enlightened by a pillar of fire (see Exodus 21:13).

الشعب الجالس في الظلمة أبصر نوراً (إش2:9) ، فَهِمَ الأسرار الإلهية، ” الأشياء العتيقة قد مضت هوذا الكل صار جديداً” (2كو17:5).

The letter recedes, the spirit advances. Shadows flee while truth(3) It takes its place.

The example of Melchizedek has been fulfilled (Psalm 110:4), who was without a mother now became without a father.

Natural laws have been dissolved. The heavenly world must be completed.(4).

المسيح يأمر أن لا نضع أنفسنا ضده “هيا صفقوا بأيديكم يا كل الأمم ” (مز1:47) ، لأنه وُلد لنا ولد وأُعطي لنا ابناً، تكون الرئاسة على كتفه (لأن كتفه رُفع بالصليب)، ويُدعى اسمه ملاك المشورة العظيم (انظر إش5:9س).

دعوا يوحنا يصرخ ” أعدوا طريق الرب ” (مت3:3)، وأنا سوف أتحدث عن قوة هذا اليوم:

The bodyless became incarnate

The word has a body

The invisible became visible

The intangible becomes tangible

The non-temporal has a temporal beginning.

Son of God becomes Son of Man

“يسوع المسيح هو هو أمساً واليوم وإلى الأبد “

The Jews stumble, the Greeks mock, and the heretics gossip.

They will believe in Him when they see Him ascending into heaven, and if they do not believe then, they will see Him coming from heaven and sitting as a judge. These things will happen later.

Two names for the celebration: Theophany and Christmas:

3 ـ أما اليوم، فالاحتفال هو بالظهور الإلهي أي الميلاد. هذا الاحتفال الواحد يطلق عليه اسمان لأن الله ظهر للبشر بواسطة الميلاد. الكلمة هو كائن أبدي من الكائن الأبدي فوق كل عِلة وكلمة (لأنه لا توجد كلمة قبل اللوغوس) صار جسداً لأجلنا لكي ـ كما منحنا الوجود ـ يعطينا أيضاً الوجود الأفضل الذي سقطنا منه بسبب شرورنا أو بالحري لكي يعيدنا إليه بتجسده. هكذا أطلق اسم “ثيوفانيا” إشارة إلى هذا الظهور، وكذلك أيضاً أُطلق اسم الميلاد إشارة إلى مولده.

Why do we celebrate this holiday?

4 ـ بالنسبة لنا هذا هو مفهوم الاحتفال، وهذا هو ما نحتفل به اليوم: نُعيد لمجيء الله إلى البشر لكي نذهب نحن لنسكن بجوار الله، أو بالحري لنرجع إليه، لكي بخلعنا الإنسان العتيق، نلبس الإنسان الجديد. وكما متنا في آدم، هكذا يمكننا أن نحيا في المسيح، إذ نولد معه، ونُصلب معه ونُدفن معه لكي نقوم بقيامته. لأنه ينبغي أن نتغير التغيير الحسن الصالح. فكما أن الأمور الحسنة (الحالة الفردوسية الأولى) تبعتها الأمور التعسة (حالة السقوط)، هكذا ينبغي بالأحرى أن تأتي الأمور الحسنة من الأمور التعيسة. “لأنه حيثما تكثر الخطية تزداد النعمة جداً” (رو20:5).

And if you taste the food(5) He brought condemnation, how much more will the sufferings of Christ justify us. Let us then celebrate, not in the manner of the noisy pagan festivals, but in a divine manner, not in the manner of the world, but in a spiritual manner. Not as our own feast, but as the feast of Him who is ours (that is, Christ), or rather, of our Lord. Let us celebrate, not in terms of sickness, but in terms of healing. Let us celebrate, not in terms of creation, but in terms of re-creation.

How do we celebrate Eid?

5. And how is this celebration to be? Not by decorating doors, nor by holding dance parties, nor by decorating the streets, nor by delighting our eyes, nor by delighting our ears with loud music, nor by delighting our noses with indecent feminine scents, let us not spoil the sense of taste, nor allow the sense of touch to delight in touching indecent things. These senses which can be easy entrances to sin; let us not be effeminate by wearing soft and expensive clothes, the beauty of which lies in their uselessness. Let us not adorn ourselves with precious stones and shining gold, and with dyes which distort the natural beauty which is in the image of God, nor by mockery and drunkenness which are always accompanied by fornication and licentiousness (see Romans 13:13), for evil teachings come from evil teachers, or better said, for evil seed produces evil plants, so let us not lie on soft bedding which pleases the self, the belly, and passing desires. We do not drink wines mixed with the scent of flowers, nor eat the delicious food that the chefs cook with skill. We do not anoint ourselves with costly perfume. We do not let the earth and sea offer their precious waste as a gift, for I call luxury waste; let us not discuss sins with one another (for everything in excess of necessary need is excess). While others of our own clay and nature are starving, and in extreme need.

6 ـ فلنترك كل هذه الأمور للوثنيين ولاحتفالات الوثنيين، الذين تسر آلهتهم برائحة شواء الذبائح، ويقدمون لها العبادة بالطعام والشراب، فهم مخترعون للشر، وكهنة وخدام للشياطين. أما نحن الذين نقدم عبادتنا “للكلمة”، إن كان يجب أن نستمتع بشيء، فلنستمتع بالكلمة، بالناموس الإلهي وبالشواهد الكتابية خاصةً تلك التي تحدثنا عن موضوعات مثل موضوع احتفال اليوم، حتى تكون متعتنا قريبة من ذاك الذي جمعنا معاً للاحتفال به (إلى المسيح) وليست بعيدة عنه. هل تريدون (لأني أنا اليوم سوف أقدم لكم المائدة يا ضيوفي) أن أضع أمامكم رواية هذه الأحداث (الميلادية) بأكثر غزارة وأجمل كلام أستطيعه لكي تعرفوا كيف يستطيع شخص غريب(6) To feed the citizens of the country, to feed the city dweller, to feed those who do not care for pleasures, to feed those who delight in pleasures, and to feed those who are poor and have no home and nothing, to feed those who are famous for their wealth.

Educational Introduction to God (Theology):

I will begin with this: Purify your minds, ears, and thoughts, you who rejoice in these things, for our talk will be a holy talk about God; so that when you leave the place you will have truly enjoyed hearing those joyful things that will never end or fade away.

The talk will be quite full and at the same time brief, so that you will not be bothered by missing some facts, nor will it be boring due to excessive length.

7 ـ الله كان كائناً دائماً وهو كائن في الحاضر وسيكون دائماً إلى الأبد، أو بالحري، هو كائن دائماً. لأن “كان” و “سيكون” هي أجزاء من الزمن ومن طبيعتنا المتغيرة. أما هو فهو “كائن” أبدي، وهذا هو الاسم الذي أعطاه لنفسه عندما ظهر لموسى “أنا هو الكائن” (خر14:3). لأنه يجمع ويحوى كل “الوجود”، وهو بلا بداية في الماضي، وبلا نهاية في المستقبل؛ مثل بحر وجود عظيم، لا يُحد ولا يحوى، متعالي كلية أي مفهوم للزمان وللطبيعة، وبالكاد يمكن أن يُدرك فقط بالعقل ولكنه إدراك غامض جداً وضعيف جداً، ليس إدراك لجوهره، بل إدراك بما هو حوله(7)، أي إدراكه من تجميع بعض ظواهر خارجية متنوعة، لتقديم صورة للحقيقة سرعان ما تفلت منا قبل أن نتمكن من الإمساك بها، إذ تختفي قبل أن نُدركها. هذه الصورة تبرق في عقولنا فقط عندما يكون العقل نقياً كمثل البرق الذي يبرق بسرعة ويختفي. أعتقد أنه يصير هذا الإدراك هكذا لكي ننجذب إلى ما يمكن أن ندركه (لأن غير المدرك تماماً، يُحبط أي محاولة للاقتراب منه)، ومن جهة أخرى فإن غير المدرك يثير إعجابنا ودهشتنا، وهذه الدهشة تخلق فينا شوقاً أكثر، وهذا الشوق ينقينا ويطهرنا، والتنقية تجعلنا مثل الله. وعندما نصير مثله، فإني أتجاسر أن أقول كأنه يتحدث إلينا كأقرباء له باتحاده بنا، وذلك بقدر ما يعرف هو الذين هم معروفين عنده. إن الطبيعة الإلهية لا حد لها ويصعب إدراكها. وكل ما يمكن أن نفهمه عنها هو عدم محدوديتها، وحتى لو ظن الواحد منا أن الله بسبب كونه من طبيعة بسيطة لذلك فهو إما غير ممكن فهمه بالمرة أو أنه يمكن أن يُفهم فهماً كاملاً. ودعنا نسأل أيضاً، ما هو المقصود بعبارة “من طبيعة بسيطة”؟ لأنه أمراً أكيد أن هذه البساطة لا تمثل طبيعته نفسها، مثلما أن التركيب ليس هو بذاته جوهر الموجودات المركبة.

8. Infinity may be thought of from two sides, that is, from the beginning and from the end (for whatever is beyond the beginning and the end and is not contained within them is infinite). When the mind looks to the upper depth, and, having no place to stand on, and leaning on external appearances to form an idea of God, it calls the infinite, which is unapproachable, the untemporal. When the mind looks to the lower depths and to the depths of the future, it calls the infinite the immortal and imperishable. When it brings together its summary of all directions, it calls the infinite the eternal, for eternity is neither time nor a part of time, for it is immeasurable. Just as time is for us what is measured by the rising and setting of the sun, so is eternity for the eternal.

نكتفي الآن عن الحديث فلسفياً عن الله، لأن الوقت لا يتسع، إذ أن موضوع حديثنا الآن هو عن تدبير التجسد وليس عن طبيعة الله (ثيولوجيا). ولكن عندما أقول الله فأنا أعني الآب والابن والروح القدس. لأن الألوهية لا تمتد إلى ما يزيد عن الثالوث وإلاّ كان هناك حشد من الآلهة، كما أنها لا تحد بنطاق أصغر من الثالوث حتى لا نتهم بأن مفهومنا عن الألوهية فقير جداً وهزيل، وحتى لا ينسب إلينا أننا نتهود بالحفاظ على الوحدانية، أو أننا نسقط في الوثنية بتعدد الآلهة. إذ أن نفس الشر موجود في الاثنين اليهودية أو الوثنية، حتى إن كان موجوداً في اتجاهين متعارضين. هذا إذَا هو “قدس الأقداس”(8) Hidden from the Seraphim is the one who is glorified in the hymn of the Three Sanctifications, and the three are attributed to one title, which is the Lord and God, as one of our predecessors spoke about.(9) In a very beautiful and sublime way.

Creation of the mental world:

9 ـ ولكن حيث إن حركة التأمل الذاتي لا تستطيع وحدها أن تشبع “الصلاح”(10), but goodness had to be poured out and spread out from itself, in order that those who receive from its benevolence might multiply (for this was essential to the highest goodness), therefore God first thought of creating angels and heavenly powers. And the idea of this became a work accomplished by His Word and perfected by His Spirit. And so also were created the second luminous creatures, as servants of the first light, whom we perceive as rational spirits or as immaterial and immortal fire, or as another nature approaching as near as possible to all the previous description. I want to say, that they could not move toward evil, but could only move toward good because they were near God and were enlightened by the first rays from God, as the earthly ones receive the second illumination; but I am compelled to stop considering them as not at all able to move toward evil, but to speak of them only as having difficulty moving toward evil because of Him who, because of His splendor, called Josephus.(11)But he became darkness and was called darkness because of his pride, he and the powers under his leadership, and they became creators of evil by their rebellion against God, and they also became instigators of us to evil.

Creation of the material world:

10 ـ هكذا خُلق هذا العالم العقلي من فيض صلاح الله، بقدر ما أستطيع أن أتفكر في هذه الأمور وأتناول أموراً عظيمة بلغتي الفقيرة. وبعد أن وجد خليقته الأولى في حالة حسنة، فكر في إبداع عالم ثاني، عالم مادي ومنظور، وهذا العالم هو منظومة مركّبة بين السماء والأرض وكل ما هو موجود بينهما، وهى خليقة جديرة بالإعجاب حينما ننظر إلى جمال كل شيء فيها، وهو أكثر جدارة بالإعجاب حينما نلاحظ التوافق والانسجام بين المخلوقات وبعضها، إذ يتوافق الواحد مع الآخر والكل فيما بينهم في نظام جميل لكي يُكوّنوا المنظومة كاملة متكاملة لعالم واحد. وهذا لكي يوضح أنه يستطيع أن يحضر إلى الوجود ليس فقط طبيعة شبيهة به بل وطبيعة مختلفة تماماً عنه. لأن الكائنات العقلية هي شبيهة بالألوهية، وتُدرك فقط بواسطة العقل؛ أما كل المخلوقات التي تُعرَف بالحواس الجسدية فهي مختلفة تماماً عن الألوهية، وأكثر هذه المخلوقات ابتعاداً هي تلك التي بلا نفس وعديمة الحركة. لكن قد يقول أحد المندفعين، ما الذي يعنينا من كل هذا؟ وقد يتساءل أحد من المشاركين في الاحتفال من المؤمنين المتحمسين “أُنخس الحصان لكي تصل إلى الهدف”، “حدثنا عن العيد وعن الأمور التي من أجلها اجتمعنا اليوم”. هذا ما سوف أفعله. حالاً، رغم أنى قد ابتدأت بأمور عالية اضطرني إليها حبي لها بالإضافة إلى ما يحتاجه حديثنا عن العيد.

Creation of man:

11. So, the mind and the body (material), each distinct from the other, remain within the limits of its own nature, and bear within themselves the greatness of the Creator Word, and are silent praisers and most moving witnesses of His omnipotent work. There was not yet a being composed of both (mind and sense) together, nor any union of these opposite natures, a supreme example of the wisdom and diversity in the creation of natures, and all the richness of goodness was not yet known. And because the Creator Word decided to show the richness of this goodness, and to create one living being composed of both together, - that is, of the visible and invisible natures - therefore He created man. And He created the body from the matter that was already there, the body, and then He put into it a breath from Himself which was known as a rational soul and the image of God, and then He established him on earth as a second great world in its infancy; another angel, a composite worshipper.(12). He has full knowledge of the depths of visible creation, but of invisible creation he knows only partially; King over the beings on earth, yet under the authority of the King above, earthly and heavenly, temporal yet immortal, visible yet rational, in a position intermediate between lowliness and greatness, himself spirit and body in one person. Spirit because of the grace given to him, and body so that man may be elevated through it. The one so that he may live and glorify God, his benefactor, the other so that he may suffer and through suffering be remembered and corrected if he has become arrogant because of his greatness. A living being trained on earth in order to pass on to another world, as if the ultimate secret was to become a god.(13) By his inclination towards God. I see that the light of truth that we receive here, but in a certain measure, directs us to see and experience the glory of God. Which is the glory of the One who created us.(14), which will then solve us and then reconstitute us in a more glorious way.(15).

The paradisiacal state of man:

12. This being (i.e. man) was placed by the Creator in Paradise (whatever Paradise this may be), and He honored him with the gift of freedom of will, so that his enjoyment of God might be by free choice, thanks to the gift of God who planted this freedom in him, and so that he might cultivate the immortal plants which signify the divine concepts, the simplest and the most perfect at the same time, naked in his simplicity and his unartificial life, and without any covering or veil, because it was fitting for him who was in the beginning (i.e. the first man) to be thus. And He also gave him a law by which to show his freedom of choice. This law was a commandment concerning the plants which he might eat, and the plants which he should not touch. This last plant was the tree of knowledge, not because it was evil when it was planted at first, nor because it was forbidden to man out of envy (on God’s part, and let us not let the tongues of God’s enemies speak thus, as we do not imitate the serpent!).

Fall:

And this tree would have been good if man had eaten of it at the right time (for the tree, according to my view, was the vision of God which is safe only for those who have perfected themselves by training and asceticism to approach it without risk), but it is not good for those who have not yet trained and for those who are greedy in lust, as strong food is of no use to those who are still weak and need milk (see Heb. 5:12). But because of the devil’s envy and seduction of the woman who yielded to being weaker, and in her turn incited Adam because she was more able to influence him, and alas for my weakness! (for the weakness of my first father is my weakness), for he forgot the commandment given to him, and yielded to eating of the deadly fruit, and thus was immediately expelled from Paradise and from the tree of life and from the presence of God because of his sin, and wearing the skins probably means that he put on the rougher body, which is subject to death and is contrary to the first)(16).

As a first result, they felt ashamed and disappeared from the face of God. Here the first man got a gain for himself, which is death, and the cutting off of sin, so that evil would not become immortal, and thus the punishment was transformed into mercy, because I believe that God imposes punishment out of mercy.(17).

God's plan for salvation:

13 ـ وبعد أن عاقب الله الإنسان أولاً ـ بطرق كثيرة، لأن خطاياه كانت كثيرة (من التي نبتت من جذر الشر، والتي نشأت من أسباب مختلفة وفي أزمنة متفرقة)، أدبه بالقول، والناموس، والأنبياء، والإحسانات، والتهديدات، والفيضانات والنيران، والحروب، والانتصارات، والهزائم، والعلامات في السماء، وعلامات في الهواء وفي الأرض وفي البحر، وبتغييرات مفاجئة للرجال والمدن والشعوب ـكل هذه الأمور كانت تهدف لإبادة الشرـ وأخيراً احتاج الإنسان لدواء أكثر قوة لأن أمراضه كانت تزداد سوءً: مثل قتل الأخ والزنى والقسم الكاذب، والجرائم الشاذة، وأول وآخر كل الشرور أي عبادة الأصنام وتحويل العبادة إلى المخلوقات بدلاً من الخالق (انظر رو18:1ـ32). وبما أن هذه كانت تحتاج إلى معونة أكبر، لذلك حصلت على مَن هو أعظم. ذلك هو كلمة الله ذاته ـ الأبدي الذي هو قبل كل الدهور، وهو غير المنظور، غير المفحوص وغير الجسدي، البدء الذي من البدء، النور الذي من النور، مصدر الحياة والخلود، صورة الجمال الأصلي الأول، الختم الذي لا يزول، الصورة التي لا تتغير، كلمة الآب وإعلانه(18)This came to his picture.(19)And he took a body for our body, and united himself with a rational soul for my soul, in order to purify the likeness by his likeness, and became a man like us in everything except sin, for he was born of the Virgin who was first purified in soul and body, by the Holy Spirit (because it was necessary that the birth of sons should be honored, and also that virginity should receive greater honor), and thus he remained God after taking on human nature, One person with two naturesBody and soul, deify the body. What a new mingling, the self-existent comes into being, the uncreated is created.(20)The uncontained is contained. By a rational soul mediating between the divine and the physical bodyHe who bestows riches becomes poor, because he took upon himself the poverty of my body, that I might take the riches of his divinity. He who is full empties himself, because he emptied himself of his glory for a short time, that I might have a share in his fullness. What goodness is this?! What mystery surrounds me?! I shared in the image; I did not preserve it, so he shared in my body in order to save the image and to make the body immortal. He enters into a second communion with me, much more wonderful than the first, and inasmuch as he then gave the better nature, he now shares in the worse.(21)This last act (the incarnation) is more worthy of God than the first (the creation), and is very sublime in the eyes of those who understand.

He humbled himself for your sake, so do not despise his humility:

14 ـ ما الذي سوف يقوله المعترضون والمجدفون على الألوهية، أولئك المشتكون ضد كل الأمور الجديرة بالمديح، أولئك الذين يجعلون النور مظلماً، والذين لم يتهذبوا بالحكمة، أولئك الذين مات المسيح لأجلهم باطلاً، أولئك المخلوقات غير الشاكرة الذين هم من صنع الشرير؟ هل تحوّل هذا الإحسان إلى شكوى ضد الله؟ هل تنظر إليه على أنه صغير بسبب أنه اتضع لأجلك؟ وهل تعتبره صغيراً لأنه هو الراعي الصالح الذي يبذل نفسه عن الخراف (يو11:10)، والذي أتى ليطلب الخروف الذي ضلّ فوق التلال والجبال والتي كانت تقدم فيها ذبائح لآلهة غريبة، وعندما وجده، حمله على منكبيه ـ اللتين حمل عليهما خشبة الصليب، وأعاده إلى الحياة الأسمى، وعندما أعاده حسبه مع أولئك الذين لم يضلوا أبداً؟ هل تحتقره لأنه أضاء سراجاً الذي هو جسده، وكنس البيت، مطهراً العالم من الخطية، وفتش عن الدرهم، أي الصورة الملكية التي دُفنت وغطتها الشهوات. وجمّع الملائكة أصدقاءه؛ عندما وجد الدرهم جعلهم شركاء في فرحه والذين جعلهم أيضاً مشاركين في سر التجسد؟ فبعد سراج السابق الذي أعّد الطريق، يأتي النور الذي يفوقه في البريق، وبعد “الصوت” أتى “الكلمة” وبعد صديق العريس جاء العريس، صديق العريس الذي أعد الطريق للرب شعباً مختاراً، مطهراً إياهم بالماء ليجهزهم للروح القدس؟ هل تلوم الله على كل هذا؟ هل على هذا الأساس تعتبره وضيعاً لأنه شد الحزام على وسطه وغسل أرجل تلاميذه (يو4:13)، وأظهر أن التواضع هو أفضل طريق للرفعة؟ لقد اتضع لأجل النفس التي انحنت إلى الحضيض لكي يرفعها معه، تلك النفس التي كانت تترنح لتسقط تحت ثقل الخطية؟ كيف لا تتهمه أيضاً بجرم الأكل مع العشارين وعلى موائد العشارين (انظر لو27:5)، وأنه يتخذ تلاميذاً من العشارين، لكي يربح … وماذا يربح؟ خلاص الخطاة. وإن كان الأمر هكذا، فيجب أن نلوم الطبيب بسبب أنه ينحني على الجروح ويحتمل الرائحة النتنة لكي يعطى الصحة للمرضى، أو هل نلوم ذاك الذي من رحمته ينحني لكي ينقذ حيواناً سقط في حفرة كما يقول الناموس (انظر تث40:22، لو5:14).

15 - Christ was sent, but he was sent as a human being because he had a dual nature.(22). لأنه شعر بالتعب وجاع وعطش وتألم وبكى حسب طبيعة كائن له جسد. وإذا استعمل تعبير “أُرسل” عنه، فمعناه أن مسرة الآب الصالحة يجب أن تعتبر إرسالية، فهو يرجع كل ما يختص بنفسه إلى هذه الإرسالية، وذلك لكي يكرم المبدأ الأزلي وأيضاً لأنه لا ينبغي أن يُنظر إليه على أنه مضاد لله. فقد كتب عنه أنه سُلم بخيانة وأيضاً سلّم ذاته، وأيضاً كتب عنه أنه أُقيم بواسطة الآب وأنه أُصعد، ومن جهة أخرى أنه أيضاً أقام ذاته وصعد. فما ذكر أولاً في كل عبارة فهو من إرادة الآب (أنه سُلِّم وأنه أُقيم)، أما الجزء الثاني من كل عبارة فيشير إلى قوته هو. فهل تفكر في الأمور الأولى التي تجعله يبدو وضيعاً، أما الثانية التي ترّفعه فأنت تتغافل عنها. وتضع في حسابك أنه تألم، ولا تحسب أن هذا الألم تم بإرادته. انظر فحتى الآن لا يزال الكلمة يتألم. فالبعض يكرمونه كإله ولكن يخلطون بينه وبين الآب، والبعض الآخر يحقرونه كمجرد جسد ويفصلونه عن اللاهوت. فعلى مَن يصب جام(23) His wrath is greater? Or rather, who are those whom He forgives? Those who mix Him up in an outward manner, or those who divide Him? The former were to be distinguished, the latter were to be united.(24) (With the Father). The first according to the number of persons, the others according to divinity. Do you stumble over His body? This is what the Jews did. Perhaps you want to call Him a Samaritan? I will not mention what they said about Christ after that (see John 8:48). Do you deny His divinity? This was not done even by the demons. Alas, how less faithful you are than the demons! And more ignorant than the Jews! For these Jews understood that the name Son indicates that He is equal in rank (i.e. equal to God), but those demons knew that the One who cast them out was God, because they were convinced of this by what happened to them. But you do not recognize equality nor acknowledge His divinity. It would have been better for you to be either a Jew or a demon (to express it in a funny way) than for evil and blasphemy to prevail over your mind while you are uncircumcised and in good health.

All this for me:

16. In a little while you will see Jesus come down to purify himself in the Jordan (Matt. 3:17) for my purification, or rather to sanctify the waters by his purity (for he who takes away the sin of the world had no need of purification). The heavens were rent, and the Spirit of one nature with him bore witness to him; and we shall see him tempted and overcome temptations, ministered to by angels (see Matt. 4:1-11), heal every disease and every infirmity (Matt. 4:23), give life to the dead (may he give life to you who died because of your heresy), cast out demons (Matt. 9:33), sometimes by himself and sometimes by his disciples, feed thousands of men with a few loaves (Matt. 14:14), walk on the sea as if it were dry land (Matt. 14:25), be betrayed and crucified, crucifying my sin with him, offered as a sacrifice as a lamb, and again offered himself as a priest offering a sacrifice, buried as a man, rose again as God, and ascended into the heavens to return again in his glory. How many feasts are there for me in every mystery of Christ! And the goal of all these mysteries is my renewal and perfection so that I may return to the first state of Adam.

17. Therefore, I beg you to accept His burden within you (as the Virgin bore Him in her womb), and leap for joy before Him, if not like John the Baptist in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:1), at least like David before the ark of the covenant (2 Sam. 14:6). And you must respect the enrollment by which you were inscribed in heaven, and worship the birth (Luke 2:1-5) by which you were freed from your bodily birth, and honor the little Bethlehem which brought you back again to paradise, and worship the child in the manger by whom you were nourished with the Logos (the Word) after you had been lost. Know your owner as the ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib, according to the saying of Isaiah (3:1), if you are one of the pure who honor the law and are busy repeating its words with fervor, and are worthy of sacrifices. But if you are one of those who are still unclean and are not entitled to eat of the holy things, and are not fit to offer sacrifices, and are from the heathen nations, then hasten with the star and offer gifts with the Magi, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, as to a king and a god and to one who died for you. Glorify Him with the shepherds, praise Him with the choir of angels, and sing your hymns with the archangels. Let this celebration be shared by the heavenly and earthly powers. For I believe that the heavenly hosts share in glorifying with us, and celebrate the great feast with us today, because they love men and love God, as David wrote about such as those who ascended with Christ after his sufferings to receive him, and they called to one another to lift up the everlasting gates (Ps. 24:7-9).

Bethlehem, the Cross and the Resurrection:

18 - There is only one thing connected with the occasion of the birth of Christ, which I want you to hate, and that is the killing of the children by Herod, or rather you should also honor, those who were slaughtered and who were the same age as Christ, these became a sacrifice offered before the new sacrifice (i.e. the cross).

Be a follower of Christ:

When he flees to Egypt, flee with him; and accompany him joyfully in exile. It is a great work to be in fellowship with the persecuted Christ. If he tarries long in Egypt, call him from there by offering him humbly worship there. Follow Christ blamelessly in all his life and all his attributes. Purify yourself and be circumcised; take off the veil that has covered you from your birth. After that, teach in the temple and drive the merchants out of the temple of God. Let them stone you if necessary, for I know well that you will escape from those who stone you like God (see John 8:59). For the Word cannot be stoned. If they bring you to Herod, do not answer most of his questions; he will respect your silence more than the many talks of the people. If they flog you, ask them to complete all the floggings. Taste the gall and drink the vinegar; ask them to spit on your face; accept their blows and insults, and crown your head with a crown of thorns, that is, with the thorns of a godly life. Put on the purple robe and hold the reed in your hand, and accept the worship of those who mock the truth; finally, be crucified with Christ and share in His death and burial with joy, so that you may rise with Him and be glorified with Him and reign with Him. Look at the great God who is worshipped and glorified in the Trinity, and let Him look at you and may He now appear clearly before you, as far as the bonds of the flesh allow, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory from now and forever. Amen.

 

هذا الكتاب من ترجمة الكنيسة القبطية: وهذا يعني أن ليس كل ما جاء في تعليقات المترجم أو المعد نتفق معه وأحياناً نختلف معه وأحياناً في متن النص. فالرجاء تنبيهنا في حال وجود شيء من هذا القبيل أو غير مفهوم… ولقراءة النص باللغة الإنجليزية، الرجاء اضغط here

 

 

 

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(*) This title and all subtitles are created by the translator.

(1) The darkness is dispelled by the birth of the Lord, just as it happened during the creation of the world by the creation of light, which caused the darkness that covered the earth to dispel (see Gen. 2:1 and following).

(2) See Exodus 21:10. Egypt refers to the world in darkness.

(3) يشير كل من “الحرف” و “الظلال” إلى “الناموس” الموسوي، بينما كل من “الروح” و “الحق” إلى الحياة الجديدة التي ظهرت في العالم بميلاد المخلّص.

(4) The heavenly world is completed with the return of mankind to the heavenly home.

(5) يشير هنا القديس غريغوريوس إلى “الأكل من الثمرة المحرمة ” الذي تسبب في سقوط الآباء الأولين (تك3)

(6) Here he indicates that he is a stranger and not from Constantinople, and he delivers his speech shortly after arriving there, after living in Cappadocia, far from Constantinople, and serving in small and unknown places such as Nazianzus, from which he came.

(7) That is, through his divine actions.

(8) The Holy of Holies here means the Holy Trinity.

(9) Most likely St. Gregory is referring to St. Athanasius the Apostolic, who was so skillfully occupied with teaching about God in his book Against the Arians.

(10) Saint Gregory calls God good, and it was customary for the Fathers to use the attributes of God as names for God.

(11) Josephus means bearer of dawn, or light. The first reference to him was in Isaiah 12:14, but he continued to be called Satana, a word from the Hebrew verb Satan meaning resister.

(12) Either of matter or spirit.

(13) {الحاشية هنا خاطئة في الشرح لأنها تقوم بتأويل النص فيما يخالف صراحة النص وتعليم الكتاب المقدس والآباء عن التأله، إذ تجعل المعنى هو الفضائل… (الشبكة)}

(14) Either of matter or spirit.

(15) Saint Gregory refers to creation through the union of body and soul, and death is the dissolution of this union, and then comes the restoration of this union in the coming age with more glory.

(16) هنا يشرح القديس غريغوريوس مفهوم الأقمصة الجلدية. {للمزيد راجع “وسقط آدم، لاهوت الأقمصة الجلدية” للدكتور عدنان طرابلسي… (الشبكة)}

(17) هنا نتذكر قول القداس الغريغوري: “حوّلت لي العقوبة خلاصاً”.

(18) انظر القداس الغريغوري الذي يخاطب المسيح الكلمة بقوله “الذي لا ينطق به، غير المرئي، غير المحوى، غير المبتدئ، الأبدي، غير الزمني، الذي لا يحد، غير المفحوص، غير المستحيل (أي غير المتغير). وهذا يوضح أن القداس هو من وضع القديس غريغوريوس نفسه الذي تفوه بهذه العظة وغيرها من الخطب والعظات المعروفة باسمه.
{Only the Coptic Church attributes this Mass to Saint Gregory the Theologian, and uses it... (Al-Shabaka)}

(19) That is, to the human being who was created in his image.

(20) His humanity was created in the womb of the Virgin.

(21) أعطى الله في الخلق نعمة الخلق “على صورة الله” بينما في التجسد يأخذ الجسد: “أخذ الذي لنا وأعطانا الذي له”.

(22) {الحاشية تحاول تأويل النص أيضاً… (الشبكة)}

(23) He means the followers of the Sabellian heresy, who said that the Father himself became Christ and was crucified, and after Christ’s ascension he came in the name of the Holy Spirit, meaning that the Trinity is one hypostasis and not three hypostases of one divinity.

(24) He means the Arians.