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Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna

Methodius of Olympus

Section 12

About this work

Author: Methodius of Olympus

XII. And in addition to this, when besides the

‹ Section 11 Section 13 ›

spectacle

,

and

even

beyond

the

spectacle

,

they

heard

an

old

man

,

very

righteous

,

very

worthy

of

credit

,

worthy

also

of

emulation

,

inspired

by

the

Holy

Spirit

,

a

teacher

of

the

law

,

honoured

with

the

priesthood

,

illustrious

in

the

gift

of

prophecy

,

by

the

hope

which

he

had

conceived

of

Christ

,

extending

the

limits

of

life

,

and

putting

off

the

debt

of

death

—

when

they

saw

him

,

I

say

,

leaping

for

joy

,

speaking

words

of

good

omen

,

quite

transformed

with

gladness

of

heart

,

entirely

rapt

in

a

divine

and

holy

ecstasy

;

who

from

a

man

had

been

changed

into

an

angel

by

a

godly

change

,

and

,

for

the

immensity

of

his

joy

,

chanted

his

hymn

of

thanksgiving

,

and

openly

proclaimed

the

“

Light

to

lighten

the

Gentiles

,

and

the

glory

of

Thy

people

Israel

.

”

Not

even

then

were

they

willing

to

hear

what

was

placed

within

their

hearing

,

and

held

in

veneration

by

the

heavenly

beings

themselves

;

wherefore

the

house

in

which

they

boasted

was

filled

with

smoke

.

Now

smoke

is

a

sign

and

sure

evidence

of

wrath

;

as

it

is

written

,

“

There

went

up

a

smoke

in

His

anger

,

and

fire

from

His

countenance

devoured

;

”

and

in

another

place

,

“

Amongst

the

disobedient

people

shall

the

fire

burn

,

”

which

plainly

,

in

the

revered

Gospels

,

our

Lord

signified

,

when

He

said

to

the

Jews

,

“

Behold

your

house

is

left

unto

you

desolate

.

”

Also

,

in

another

place

,

“

The

king

sent

forth

his

armies

,

and

destroyed

those

murderers

,

and

burnt

up

their

city

.

”

Of

such

a

nature

was

the

adverse

reward

of

the

Jews

for

their

unbelief

,

which

caused

them

to

refuse

to

pay

to

the

Trinity

the

tribute

of

praise

.

For

after

that

the

ends

of

the

earth

were

sanctified

,

and

the

mighty

house

of

the

Church

was

filled

,

by

the

proclamation

of

the

Thrice

Holy

,

with

the

glory

of

the

Lord

,

as

the

great

waters

cover

the

seas

,

there

happened

to

them

the

things

which

before

had

been

declared

,

and

the

beginning

of

prophecy

was

confirmed

by

its

issue

,

the

preacher

of

truth

signifying

,

as

has

been

said

,

by

the

Holy

Spirit

,

as

it

were

in

an

example

,

the

dreadful

destruction

which

was

to

come

upon

them

,

in

the

words

:

“

In

the

year

in

which

king

Uzziah

died

,

I

saw

the

Lord

”

—

Uzziah

,

doubtless

,

as

an

apostate

,

being

taken

as

the

representative

of

the

whole

apostate

body

—

the

head

of

which

he

certainly

was

—

who

also

,

paying

the

penalty

due

to

his

presumption

,

carried

on

his

forehead

,

as

upon

a

brazen

statue

,

the

divine

vengeance

engraved

,

by

the

loathsomeness

of

leprosy

,

exhibiting

to

all

the

retribution

of

their

loathsome

impiety

.

Wherefore

with

divine

wisdom

did

he

,

who

had

foreknowledge

of

these

events

,

oppose

the

bringing

in

of

the

thankful

Anna

to

the

casting

out

of

the

ungrateful

synagogue

.

Her

very

name

also

pre

-

signifies

the

Church

,

that

by

the

grace

of

Christ

and

God

is

justified

in

baptism

.

For

Anna

is

,

by

interpretation

,

grace

.

Notes

105
Luke ii. 32.
106
Ps. xviii. 8.
107
Ecclus. xxii. 7.
108
Matt. xxiii. 38.
109
Matt. xvii. 7.
110
Isa. vi. 3, 4; i.