23 See pp. 131, 132, edition of the London Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge.
1 The oration likewise treats of the Holy Theotocos. [Published by Pantinus, 1598, and obviously corrupt. Dupin states that it is "not mentioned by the ancients, nor even by Photius." The style resembles that of Methodius in many places.]
7 John i. 11; Ps. l. 3. h\lqen-e0mfanw=j. The text plainly requires this connection with evident allusion to Ps. l. "Our God will manifestly come" e0mfanw=j h@cei, which passage our author connects with another from John i.-Tr.
10 th\n a0ki/nhton h\ttan e0gkauxhsa/menoi. It seems better to retain this. Pantinus would substitute a0ni/khton for a0ki/nhton, and render less happily "invicto hoc certamine victos."
11 [See p. 309, note 1, supra, and the reflection upon even the Banquet of Philosophers, the Symposium of Plato.]
13 Isa. vi. 1-9. The quotations are from LXX. version.
14 musth/rion is, in the Greek Fathers, equivalent to the Latin Sacramentum.-Tr.
16 i0era/teuma. Perhaps less definitely priesthood. Acc. Arist. it is h9 peri\ tou\j qeou\j e0pime/leia. The cult and ordinances of religion to be observed especially by the priests, whose business it is to celebrate the excellence of God.-Tr.
17 kata\ th\n eu0doki/an. Allusion is made to Eph. i. 5, According to the good pleasure of God, and His decree for the salvation of man. Less aptly Pantinus renders, ob propensam secaem in nos voluntatem.-Tr.
18 "One and the same essence." This is the famous o9moousioj of the Nicene Council.-Tr.
19 i9erofa/nthj, teacher of the divine oracles. This, which is the technical term for the presiding priest at Eleusis, and the Greek translation of the Latin "Pontifex Maximus," is by our author applied to St. Paul.-Tr.
24 u9poti/tqion tugxa/nonta. It is an aggravation, so to speak, that He not only willed to become an infant, and to take upon Him, of necessity, the infirmities of infancy, but even at that tender age to be banished from His country, and to make a forcible change of residence, me/toikoj gene/sqan. me/toikoi are those who, at the command of their princes, are transferred, by way of punishment, to another State. Their lands are confiscated. They are sometimes called a0na/spastoi. Like to the condition of these was that of Jesus, who fled into Egypt soon after His birth. For the condition of the me/toikoi at Athens, see Art. Smith's Dict. Antiq.-Tr.
30 [Here seems to me a deep and true insight regarding the scriptural topics and events touched upon.]
32 The quotation from the prophet Habakkuk is from the LXX. version.-Tr.
38 [Note "made worthy;" so "found grace" and "my Saviour," in St. Luke. Hence not immaculate by nature.]
40 to\n th=iplasiasmo\n th\j a9gio/thtoj, Pantinus translates triplicem sanctitatis rationem, but this is hardly theological. Allusion is made to the song of the seraphim, Isa. vi.; and our author contends that the threefold hymn sung by the angels at Christ's birth answers to that threefold acclamation of theirs in sign of the triune Deity.-Tr.
42 to\n ta\ pa/nta e0n a0katalhyi/a u9peridrume/non. Cf. 1 Tim. vi. 16, fw=j oi0kw=n a0pro/siton, o@n ei\den ou0dei\j a0nqrw/pwn ou0de\ i0dei=n du/natai.-Tr.
43 [This apostrophe is not prayer nor worship. (See sec. xiv., infra) It may be made by any orator. See Burgon's pertinent references to Legh Richmond and Bishop Horne, Lett. from Rome, pp. 237, 238.]
46 o9 tw=n teloume/nwn teleiwth/j, initiator, consummator. dia\ tou= Pneu/matoj a9gi/ou is to be referred to suneka/lesen, rather than to tw=n prattome/nwn.-Tr.
47 to\n au0qe/nthn dida/skalon. The allusion is to Mark i. 22.
51 Ps. cxviii. 22; Isa. xxviii. 16; 1 Pet. ii. 6.
53 Exod. xv. 2; Isa. xxv. 1; Ps. civ. 1.
66 Isa. ix. 2, xlii. 7; Luke i. 79.
70 Isa. lxiii. 9, Sept. version.
84 [The feast of the Purification. Here follows an impassioned apostrophe, which apart from its Oriental extravagance is full of poetical beauty. Its language, however, like that of other parts of this Oration, suggests at least interpolation, subsequent to the Nestorian controversy. Previously, there would have been no call for such vehemence of protestation.]