A WORD FROM THE FATHERS Dormition 2014 Vol 2, No 2 U.S. $5 ST PROCLUS ARCHBISHOP of CONSTANTINOPLE ON THE HOLY VIRGIN THEOTOKOS SAINT PROCLUS ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE HOMILY I ON THE HOLY VIRGIN THEOTOKOS DELIVERED WHILE NESTORIUS WAS SEATED IN THE GREAT CHURCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE Proclus of Constantinople and the Cult of the Virgin in Late Antiquity: Homilies 1-5 Texts and Translations by Nicholas Constas Published by Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands Copyright 2003 Reprinted with permission. EIGHTH DAY INSTITUTE WICHITA, KS 2014 he Virgin’s festival, my What we celebrate is T brethren, summons us today the pride of women and to words of praise, the glory of the female, and the present feast thanks to the one who has benefits to be- stow on those who was at once both mother assemble to keep it. and virgin. And surely this is right, for its subject is chastity. What we celebrate is the pride of women and the glory of the female, thanks to the one who was at once both mother and virgin. Lovely is the gathering! See how both the earth and the sea serve as the Virgin’s escorts: the one spreading forth her waves calmly beneath the ships, the other conducting the steps of travelers on their way unhin- dered. Let nature leap for joy, and let women be honored! Let all humanity dance, and let virgins be glorified! For “sin increased, grace abounded yet more” (Rom. 5.20). She who called us here today is the Holy Mary; the untarnished ves- sel of virginity; the spiritual paradise of the second Adam (cf. Rom. 5.14; 1 Cor. 15.21-22, 45-49); the workshop for the union of natures; the market-place of the contract of salvation; the bridal chamber in which the Word took the flesh in marriage; the living bush of human nature, which the fire of a divine birth-pang did not consume (Ex. 3.2); DORMITION 2014 1 the veritable swift cloud (Is. 19.1) who car- ried in her body the One who rides upon the cherubim; the purest fleece (Jg. 6.37-38) drenched with the rain which came down from heaven, whereby the Shepherd clothed himself with the sheep (cf. Jn. 10.11); handmaid and mother (cf. Lk. 1.38, 43), virgin and heaven, the only bridge for God to mankind; the awe- some loom of the divine economy upon which the robe (Jn. 19.23) of union was ineffably woven. The loom-worker was the Holy Spirit; the wool-worker the overshadowing power from on high (Lk. 1.35). The wool was the ancient fleece of Adam; the interlocking thread the spotless flesh of the Virgin. The weaver’s shuttle was propelled by the immeasurable grace of Him who wore the robe; the artisan was the Word who entered in through her sense of hearing. II. Who ever saw, who ever heard, of God dwelling with- out restriction in a woman’s womb? Heaven itself cannot contain Him, and yet a womb did not constrict Him. He was born from a woman, God but not solely God, and 2 EIGHTH DAY INSTITUTE 2014 man but not merely man, and by His birth what was once the door of sin was made the gate of salvation. Through ears that disobeyed, the serpent poured in his poison; through ears that obeyed, the Word entered in or- der to build a living tem- Who ever saw, who ever ple. From the place heard, of God dwelling where Cain, the first dis- without restriction in a ciple of sin, emerged, woman’s womb? Heav- from there also did en itself cannot contain Christ, the redeemer of Him, and yet a womb the race, sprout unsown did not constrict Him. into life. The loving God He was born from a was not ashamed of the birth pangs of a woman, woman, God but not for the business at hand solely God, and man but was life. He was not de- not merely man, and by filed by dwelling in places His birth what was once which He Himself had the door of sin was made created without dishonor. the gate of salvation. If the mother had not remained a virgin, then the Child born would have been a mere man and the birth no miracle. But if she remained a virgin even after birth, then indeed He was wondrously born who also entered unhindered “when the doors were sealed” (Jn. 20.19, 26), DORMITION 2014 3 whose union of natures was proclaimed by Thomas who said, “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20.28)! III. So do not be ashamed of the birth pangs, O man! For they were the beginning of our salvation. Had He not been born of a woman, He would have not died. Had He not died, He would not “through death have destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the O Womb, in which was devil” (Heb. 2.14). A mas- drawn up the bond that ter builder is not dishon- gave us all liberty! O belly, ored if he dwells in build- in which was forged the ings of his own design. sword that defeated death! Clay does not defile the O field, in which Christ, potter who repairs what nature’s farmer, Himself he himself had fashioned. sprouted forth unsown as Neither was the Pure One an ear of corn! O temple, in defiled by coming forth which God became a priest from a virgin’s womb. Had the Word not From what He formed dwelt in a womb, the flesh without pollution He would never have sat on a came forth without de- filement. O womb, in throne. which was drawn up the bond that gave us all lib- erty! O belly, in which was forged the sword that defeated death! O field, in which Christ, nature’s farmer, Himself 4 EIGHTH DAY INSTITUTE 2014 sprouted forth unsown as an ear of corn! O temple, in which God became a priest, not by changing His nature, but by His mercy clothing Himself with Him who was “according to the order of Melchizedek” (cf. Heb. 6.20; 7.11; Ps. 109.4)! “The Word became flesh” (Jn. 1.14), even if the Jews disbelieve the Lord who said so. God has put on the form of a human being (cf. Phil. 2.7), even if the Greeks ridicule the wonder. For this reason, the mystery is a “scandal to the Jews” and “folly to the Greeks” (1 Cor. 1.23) because the miracle transcends reason. Had the Word not dwelt in a womb, the flesh would never have sat on a throne. Were it a disgrace for God to have entered a womb, it would also be a disgrace for angels to serve a man (Mt. 4.11; cf. Heb. 1.14). IV. So He who is by nature impassible became in mercy most passible. Christ did not by progress become God – heaven forbid! – but in mercy He became man, as we be- lieve. We do not preach a divinized man, but instead we confess an incarnate God. His own handmaid He acknowl- DORMITION 2014 5 edged as mother, He who in essence is without mother and in the incarnation is without father. How otherwise could Paul speak of one and the same (Christ) as both “without mother” and “without father” (Heb. 7.3)? Were He merely man, He would not be without mother; and yet He has a mother. Were He solely God, He would not be without fa- ther; and yet He has a Father. But now the same one is both without mother, as Creator, and without father, as creature. V. You should also pay attention to the name of the archangel. He who brought the glad tidings to Mary was called Gabriel (Lk. 1.26). What is the meaning of “Gabriel”? God and man. Now He of whom Gabriel was bringing these tidings was God and man, and thus his name was an anticipation of the miracle, given to assure us of the incarnation. Listen to the reason for His coming and glorify the power of the One who became flesh. The hu- man race was deep in debt and incapable of paying what it owed. By the hand of Adam we all signed a bond to sin. 6 EIGHTH DAY INSTITUTE 2014 The devil held us all in slavery. He kept producing our bills, using our suffering body as his paper. There he stood, the wicked forger, threatening us with our debts and demand- ing satisfaction. One of two things had to happen: either the penalty of death had to be imposed on all, be- cause “all had Listen to the reason for sinned” (Rom. 3.23), or His coming and glorify else a substitute had to the power of the One who be provided who was ful- became flesh. The human ly entitled to plead on race was deep in debt and our behalf. No man incapable of paying what could save us; the debt it owed. By the hand of would have been his lia- Adam we all signed a bility too. No angel could bond to sin. The devil buy us out, for such a ransom was beyond his held us all in slavery. powers. One who was One who was sinless had sinless had to die for to die for those who had those who had sinned; sinned; that was the only that was the only way left way left by which to break by which to break the the bonds of evil.