Even Years: Leo the Great, Treatise 36, 1-2 (CCL 138, 195-196)
| Dies, dilectissimi, quo primum gentibus saluator mundi christus apparuit, sacro nobis honore uenerandus est, et illa hodie cordibus nostris concipienda sunt gaudia, quae in trium magorum
fuere pectoribus, quando regem caeli et terrae signo et ductu noui sideris
incitati, quem crediderant promissum, adorauere conspicuum...
| Dearly beloved, the day on which Christ first showed himself to the Gentiles as the Saviour of the world should be held in holy reverence among us. We should experience in our hearts the same joy as the three wise men felt when the sign of the new star led them into the presence of the King of heaven and earth, and they gazed in adoration upon the one in whose promised coming they had put their faith...
| | Quamuis ergo narratio euangelicae
lectionis illos proprie recenseat dies in quibus tres uiri, quos nec prophetica
praedicatio docuerat, nec testificatio legis instruxerat, ad cognoscendum deum
a remotissima orientis parte uenerunt, hoc idem tamen et manifestius nunc et
copiosius fieri in omnium uocatorum inluminatione perspicimus, quoniam impletur
prophetia Esaiae dicentis: Reuelauit dominus brachium suum sanctum in
conspectu omnium gentium, et uidebunt omnes gentes terrae salutem quae a domino
nostro est, et iterum: Quibus non est adnuntiatum de eo, uidebunt, et qui non
audierunt, intellegent.
| The Gospel story specifically recalls the days when, without any previous teaching from the prophets or instruction in the law, three men came from the far east in search of God; but we see the same thing taking place even more clearly and extensively in the enlightenment of all those whom God calls at the present time. We see the fulfilment of that prophecy of Isaiah which says: The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all nations, and the whole world has seen the salvation that comes from the Lord our God. And again: Those who have not been told about him shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand.
| | Vnde cum homines mundanae
sapientiae deditos et a Iesu christi confessione longinquos, de profundo sui
erroris educi et ad cognitionem ueri luminis cernimus aduocari, diuinae sine
dubio gratiae splendor operatur, et quidquid in tenebrosis cordibus nouae lucis
apparet, de eiusdem stellae radiis micat, ut mentes quas suo fulgore
contigerit, et miraculo moueat et ad dominum adorandum praeeundo perducat.
| When we witness people being led out of the abyss of error and called to knowledge of the true light, people who, far from professing faith in Jesus Christ, have hitherto devoted themselves to worldly wisdom, we can have no doubt that the splendour of divine grace is at work. Whenever a shaft of light newly pierces darkened hearts, its source is the radiance of that same star, which impresses the souls it touches by the miracle of its appearance and leads them forward to worship God.
| | Si autem sollicito intellectu
uelimus aspicere, quomodo etiam triplex illa species munerum ab omnibus qui ad
christum gressu fidei ueniunt offeratur, nonne in cordibus recte credentium
eadem celebratur oblatio? Aurum enim de thesauro animi sui promit, qui christum
regem uniuersitatis agnoscit; myrram offert, qui unigenitum dei credit ueram
sibi hominis unisse naturam; et quodam eum ture ueneratur, qui in nullo ipsum
paternae maiestatis inparem confitetur.
| If on the other hand we earnestly ask ourselves whether the same threefold oblation is made by all who come to Christ in faith, shall we not discover a corresponding gift offering in the hearts of true believers? To acknowledge Christ's universal sovereignty is in fact to bring out gold from the treasury of one's soul; to believe God's only Son has made himself truly one with human nature is to offer myrrh; and to declare that he is in no way inferior to his Father in majesty is to worship him with frankincense.
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Odd Years: St. Proclus, Sermon on the Holy Theophany
| Χριστὸς τῷ κόσμῳ ἐπεφάνη, καὶ τὸν ἄκοσμον κὄσμον κοσμήσας, ἐφαίδρυνε· τὴν τοῦ κόσμου ἁμαρτίαν ἀνέλαβε,
καὶ τὸν τοῦ κόσμου ἐχθρὸν κατέβαλεν· ἡγίασεν ὑδάτων πηγὰς, καὶ ἐφώτισε τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχάς· θαύματα συνεπλάκη μείζοσι θαύμασι.
Σήμερον γὰρ ἡ γῆ καὶ ἡ θάλασσα τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος χάριν ἐμερίσαντο,
καὶ πᾶς κόσμος εὐφρονσύνης πεπλήρωται· καὶ τῆς προλαβούσης ἑορτῆς ἡ σήμερον ἑορτὴ μείζονα δείκνυσι τῶν θαυμάτων τὴν αὔξησιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ προλαβούσῃ ἑορτῇ τῶν γενεθλίων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡ γῆ ἔχαιρεν,
ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων Δεσπότην βαστάζουσα· ἐν δὲ τῇ σήμερον ἑορτῇ τῶν θεοφανείων ἡ θάλασσα λίαν εὐφραἰνεται· εὐφραίνεται δὲ, ὡς διὰ Ἰορδάνου τὰς τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ ἐὐλογίας μεταλαμβάνουσα.
Ἑπὶ τῇ προλαβούσῃ ἑορτῇ ἀτελὲς βρέφος ἐδείκνυτο,
τὴν ἡεμετέραν ἀτελειότητα δεικνύμενον· ἐν δὲ τῇ σήμερον ἑορτῇ τέλειος ὀρᾶται, τὸν ἐκ τελείου τέλειον αἰνιττόμενος.
Ἐκεῖ τὸν τεχθέντα ἐμήνυσεν ὁ ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ προκύψας ἀστήρ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῷ βαπτιζομένῳ μαρτυρεῖ ἄνωθεν ὁ γεννήσας Πατήρ. Ἐκεῖ μάγοι ἐξ ἀνατολῶν
πεζοπορήσαντες ὡς βασιλεῖ δῶρα προσέφερον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἄγγελοι ἐξ οὐρανῶν παραγενόμενοι,
ὡς Θεῷ τὴν πρέπουσαν διακονίαν προσήνεγκαν.
Ἑκεῖ ἐδεσμεῖτο
σπαργάνων δεσμοῖς·
ἐνταῦθα λύει τὰς
τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων
σειράς. Ἐκεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς
τὴν ἀλουργίδα τοῦ
σώματος ἐνεδύετο·
ἐνταῦθα ἡ πηγὴ τὸν
ποταμὸν ἀμφιέννυται.
| Christ appeared to the world, and putting order into the disordered world he made it resplendent. He took upon himself the sin of the world and cast down the enemy of the world. He sanctified the founts of water, and enlightened the souls of men. He surrounded miracles with still greater miracles.
For today both earth and sea have shared between them the grace of the Saviour, and over the whole world joy is spread, and today's feast manifests a greater increase of miracles than the festival we held before.
For in the former festival day of the Saviour's nativity the earth was joining in the gladness, because she carried the Lord in a crib; but on this present day of the Epiphany the sea leaped with the highest joy and danced with delight—delighting indeed that it had received the blessing of sanctification in the midst of Jordan.
In the former celebration an imperfect infant was exhibited witnessing to our imperfection, but on the present festival day a full-grown man is to be seen, in obscure fashion pointing to him who being perfect proceeds from the perfect God. There the King puts on the purple robe of a body; here the fount forms round him a river as if to clothe him.
| | Δεῦτε οὖν,
ἴδετε παράδοξα
θαύματα· τὸν τῆς
δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον
ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ λουόμενον,
καὶ πῦρ ἐν ὕδατι
βαπτιζόμενον,
καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου
τὸν Θεὸν ἁγιαζόμενον.
Σήμερον πᾶσα ἡ
κτίσις ἀνυμνοῦσα
βοᾷ Εὐλογημένος
ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι
Κυρἰου. Τίς οὗτος;
εἰπὲ φανερῶς, ὦ
μακάριε Δαβίδ Θεὸς
Κύριος, καὶ ἐπέφανεν
ἡμῖν. Οὐ μόνον
δὲ ὁ προφήτης λέγει
Δαβὶδ, ἀλλὰ καὶ
Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος
προσμαρτυρῶν
αὐτῷ φθέγγετι Ἐπεφάνη
ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ
ἡ σωτήριος πᾶσιν
ἀνθρώποις,
παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς·
οὐ τισὶν, ἀλλὰ
πᾶσιν. Πᾶσι γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις
τε καὶ Ἕλλησι
διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος
τὴν σωτηρίαν
χαρίζεται,
κοινὸν εὐεργέτημα
τὸ βάπτισμα
προβαλλόμενος.
| Come then and see new and overwhelming miracles: the sun of righteousness bathing in Jordan, the fire immersed in water and God being sanctified by human ministry.
Today all creation resounding with hymns cries: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
And now who is this? Speak more clearly, I pray, blessed David. God is the Lord, and he [has appeared to us]. Nor does David alone as prophet speak thus, but in fact Paul the Apostle, agreeing with him in his own testimony, says the following words: There has appeared the grace of God, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us. Not to some men, but to all—to all, that is, both Jews and Greeks equally, he pours out salvation through baptism, offering to all men a common blessing in baptism.
| | Δεῦτε, ἴδετε
ξένον
κατακλυσμὸν,
πολὺ βελτίω καὶ
κρείττονα τοῦ ἐπὶ
Νῶε θεωρούμενον.
Ἐκεῖ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ
κατακλυσμοῦ τὴν
ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν
ἐθανάτωσεν· ἐνταῦθα
δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ
βαπτιίσματος,
διὰ τοῦ
βαπτισθέντος,
τοὺς θανέτας ἐζωοποίησεν.
Ἐκεῖ περιστερὰ
κάρφος ἐλαίας
βαστάζουσα, τὴν
τοῦ Δεσπότου
Χριστοὺ εὐωδίαν
ἐμήνυσεν· ἐνταῦθα
δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ
ἅγιον, ἐν εἴδει
περιστερᾶς
παραγενόμενον,
τὸν ἐλεήμονα ὑποδείκνυσι
Κύριον.
| Come, see the strange and new flood, greater and more excellent than that in the days of Noah. There the water of the flood destroyed the human race; but here the water of the baptism, by the power of him who is baptized in it, has called back the dead to life. There the dove carrying the olive branch in its beak denotes the fragrance of the sweet-smelling savour of the Lord Christ, but here the Holy Spirit coming in the form of a dove reveals to us our merciful God.
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