Caput 12
The Mystery of the Virgin Birth
The Judge explains the divine necessity and purity of choosing a virgin mother for the Incarnation.
Then the religious man appeared again, standing in his place as before, and said: "O Judge, I ask you: Why did you choose to be born of a virgin rather than of some other woman who wasn't a virgin?" And why didn't you show some visible sign that she was both a mother and a pure virgin? And why did you hide your birth so completely that almost no one knew about it? Why did you flee into Egypt because of Herod, and why did you allow the innocent children to be killed? Why do you let yourself be blasphemed, and why do you allow falsehood to prevail over the truth? The Judge answered, "My friend, the reason I chose to be born of a virgin rather than a woman who was not a virgin is that, for Me, the most pure God, everything must be most pure." As long as human nature remained in the order of its creation, there was nothing shameful about it. But once the command was broken, a certain sense of shame immediately followed, just as it happens to people who sin against their earthly lord, who even feel ashamed of the very limbs with which they committed their sin. As the shame of transgression followed, a disordered impulse immediately grew, especially in that member which had been designed for a greater fruit. Yet, so that this impulse wouldn't be fruitless, God in His goodness turned it toward the good, and through a divine command, the act of carnal union was permitted so that nature might be fruitful.1 But because it's more glorious to go beyond what's commanded by adding whatever good you can out of love, it pleased God to choose the path for His work that tended toward greater purity and charity. And this is what virginity is: it’s more virtuous and magnificent to be in the fire of tribulation and not burn than to be without the fire and yet wish to be crowned.✦ Now, because virginity is a most beautiful path to heaven, while marriage is like a road, it was fitting that I, the most pure God, should rest in a most pure virgin. Just as the first man was made from the earth, which was in a way a virgin because it had not yet been stained by blood, and just as Adam and Eve sinned in the integrity of their nature, so I, God, wished to be received into a most pure vessel, so that through my goodness all things might be restored. As for why I didn't show by clear signs that my mother was both mother and virgin, I answer: I revealed all the mysteries of my incarnation to the prophets, so that they would be believed all the more firmly the further in advance they were predicted. As for the fact that my mother was truly a virgin both before and after the birth, Joseph's testimony was enough, for he was the guardian and witness of her virginity. Even if her purity had been proven by a more obvious miracle, the malice of those who doubt still wouldn't have stopped their blasphemy; they doubt that a virgin conceived by the power of the Godhead, failing to consider that for Me, God, this is easier than for the sun to pass through glass. It was also a matter of the justice of my divinity that the mystery of the divine incarnation should be hidden from the devil and from men, to be revealed in the time of grace. Now, however, I say that my mother is truly both mother and virgin. Just as the power of the Godhead was wonderful in the creation of Adam and Eve, and their life together was marked by a delightful integrity, so too was the goodness of my Godhead wonderful in its approach to the Virgin; for my incomprehensible divinity descended into a closed vessel without violating it.23 There was also a delightful companionship for me there, because I, God, was enclosed within humanity, even though I was everywhere by my divinity. There was also an amazing power in it, because I, God, being incorporeal, came forth from a corporeal womb while her virginity remained intact.
Hiddenness and Humility
The Judge reveals why the Incarnation was hidden from the world to humble the proud and demonstrate divine justice.
So, because humanity was slow to believe, and the Mother is the true friend of all humility, I chose for a time to hide her beauty and perfection, so that the Mother might have some merit by which she could be more perfectly crowned, and I, God, might be more fully glorified in that time when I would choose to fulfill my promises—to the good for their reward, and to the wicked for their retribution. As for why I didn't reveal my birth to men, I answer: although the devil lost the dignity of his original state, he didn't lose the knowledge that serves him for the testing of the good and for his own confusion. So, in order for my humanity to grow and reach its appointed time, the mystery of my godliness had to be hidden from the devil; for I chose to come in secret to defeat him, and I determined to be despised in order to break the arrogance of men. These teachers of the law despised the very One they read about in their own books because I came in humility. Since they were proud, they refused to listen to the true justice that comes from faith in my redemption. Therefore, they will be put to shame when the son of perdition comes in his pride. If I had come in great power and honor, how then would the proud have been humbled? Or will the proud enter heaven now? Certainly not. I came, therefore, as one who is humble, so that humanity might learn humility; and I hid myself from the proud, because they refused to understand either my divine justice or themselves. As for why I fled into Egypt, I answer: before the commandment was broken, there was only one way to heaven, and it was both broad and bright—broad in the abundance of virtues, and bright in divine wisdom and the obedience of a good will.4 Once the will was changed, two paths began to take shape. One led toward heaven, while the other led away; obedience led to heaven, but disobedience seduced. Because the choice between good and evil—that is, between obeying and not obeying—was left to human free will, man sinned; he sinned because he chose to will something other than what I, God, willed for him to will. So, for humanity to be saved, it was just and fitting that someone should come to redeem them—someone possessing perfect obedience and innocence, in whom those who wished could show their love, and those who wished could show their malice. But it wasn't right for an angel to be sent to redeem humanity, because I, God, don't give my glory to another. Nor was any human found who could appease me for his own sake, let alone for others. Therefore, I, the only just God, came to justify everyone.
Suffering, Flight, and Divine Patience
The Judge explains the meaning of the flight into Egypt, the martyrdom of the innocents, and his patient endurance of human blasphemy.
My flight into Egypt shows the weakness of my humanity, and it fulfilled prophecy. I also gave an example to those who would come after me, because sometimes persecution should be avoided for the sake of a greater future glory for God. As for the fact that I wasn't found by those who were pursuing me, the counsel of my divinity prevailed over human plans, because it's not easy to fight against God. The fact that the infants were killed was a sign of my future passion, a mystery of those who would be called, and a mystery of divine love. Even though those infants didn't bear witness to me with their voices and mouths, they bore witness through their deaths, as was fitting for my own infancy, because it had been foreseen that the praise of God would be perfected even through the blood of the innocent. Even though the malice of the unjust may have afflicted them unfairly, my divine permission was still always just and kind; it didn't expose them except for a just purpose, to reveal the malice of men and the incomprehensible counsel and mercy of my divinity. Therefore, where unjust malice flared up in the children, there merit and grace justly abounded; and where the confession of the tongue and the maturity of age were lacking, there the blood that was shed accumulated the most perfect good. As for why I allow myself to be blasphemed, I answer: It is written that when King David was fleeing from his son's persecution, a man cursed him along the road. When his servants wanted to kill the man who was cursing him, David stopped them for two reasons: first, because he had hope of being restored, and second, because he considered his own weakness, the sin and foolishness of the one cursing him, and God’s patience and goodness toward himself. I am David in a figure. For a person pursues me just as a servant pursues a master, through their evil deeds, casting me out of my kingdom—that is, out of the soul that I created, which is my kingdom. Finally, they criticize me as if my judgment were unjust, and they even blaspheme me because I am patient. But because I am gentle, I endure their foolishness, and because I am a judge, I wait for their conversion until the very last moment. Finally, because people believe lies more than the truth, loving the world more than me, their God, it's no wonder that the wicked are tolerated in their malice, since they neither want to seek the truth nor turn back from their evil.
Read the original Latin
Item apparuit religiosus qui supra in gradu suo stans et dicens: "O iudex, quero a te: Cur magis nasci voluisti de virgine quam de alia muliere non virgine?"
"Item cur non ostendisti visibili signo, quod ipsa erat mater et virgo pura?"
"Item cur in tantum occultasti natiuitatem tuam, que quasi paucissimis innotuit?"
"Item cur fugisti in Egiptum pro Herode et cur innocentes pueros occidi permisisti?"
"Item cur permittis te blasphemari et falsa preualere veritati?"
Respondit iudex: "O amice, ideo magis de virgine nasci volui quam de femina non virgine, quia michi Deo mundissimo omnia decent mundissima.
Nam natura hominis, quamdiu stetit in ordine creacionis sue, nichil habuit deforme. Preuaricato vero mandato accessit statim quoddam erubescibile, sicut contingit hominibus peccantibus contra dominum suum temporalem, qui eciam de membris, quibus peccauerunt, erubescunt.
Accedente itaque erubescencia preuaricacionis mox auctus est motus inordinatus et maxime in illo membro, quod ad maiorem fructum institutum fuit.
Qui tamen motus, ne inanis esset a fructu, Dei bonitate conuersus fuit in bonum et per diuini mandati institucionem concessum est opus commixtionis carnalis, vnde natura fructificaret.
Verum quia gloriosius est supra mandatum se extendere, adiciendo ex caritate qualecumque bonum quis poterit, ideo placuit Deo illud magis ad opus suum eligere, quod ad maiorem mundiciam et caritatem tendebat;
et hoc est virginitas, quia virtuosius et magnificencius est in igne tribulacionis esse et non ardere quam sine igne esse et tamen velle coronari.
Nunc autem quia virginitas est quedam semita pulcherrima ad celum, coniugium vero est quasi via, ideo decuit me Deum mundissimum in virgine mundissima quiescre.
Vt sicut primus homo factus est de terra, que quodammodo erat virgo, quia nondum polluta sanguine et quia Adam et Eua peccauerunt in sanitate nature, sic et ego Deus volui recipi mundissimo receptaculo, vt per bonitatem meam omnia reformarentur."
"Item, cur non ostendi apertis signis, quod mater mea erat mater et virgo, respondeo: Omnia misteria incarnacionis mee insinuaui prophetis, vt tanto firmius crederentur, quanto longius fuerunt predicta.
Quod vero mater mea vere ante partum et post erat virgo, sufficiebat testimonium Ioseph, qui custos et testis virginitatis eius extitit.
Cuius pudicicia eciam si euidenciori miraculo ostensa fuisset, nullatenus tamen diffidencium malicia destitisset a blasphemia, qui diffidunt virginem concepisse de deitatis potencia, non attendentes, quod hoc michi Deo est facilius quam solem penetrare vitrum.
Verum eciam iusticia deitatis mee fuit, vt misterium incarnacionis diuine absconderetur dyabolo et hominibus tempore gracie reuelandum. Nunc autem dico, quod mater mea vere est mater et virgo.
Vt sicut in plasmacione Ade et Eue mirabilis erat potencia deitatis et in cohabitacione eorum delectabilis honestas, sic in accessione deitatis mee ad virginem mirabilis erat bonitas, quia incomprehensibilis diuinitas mea descendit in vas conclusum absque sui violacione.
Fuit quoque ibi delectabilis cohabitacio michi, quia ego Deus includebar humanitate, qui vbique eram deitate. Admirabilis eciam fuit ibi potencia, quia ego Deus incorporalis egrediebar de vtero corporalis salua virginitate.
Ergo, quia homo erat difficilis ad credendum, mater vero est tocius humilitatis amica, ideo placuit michi ad tempus pulchritudinem et perfeccionem eius abscondere, vt et mater haberet aliquod meritum, quo perfeccius coronaretur, et ego Deus glorificarer amplius in tempore illo, in quo promissa implere vellem, bonis in meritum, malis autem in retribucionem."
"Item, cur non ostendi hominibus natiuitatem meam, respondeo: Licet dyabolus amiserit dignitatem condicionis prime, non tamen amisit scienciam, que ei est ad probacionem bonorum et confusionem propriam.
Vt ergo humanitas mea cresceret et ad prefinitum tempus veniret, ideo abscondendum erat misterium pietatis mee dyabolo, quia occultus venire volui ad debellandum dyabolum et despectus esse statui propter arroganciam hominum deprimendam.
Ipsi quippe magistri legis, quem in libris suis legebant, despexerunt, quia veni humilis, et quia superbi erant, noluerunt audire iusticiam veram, que ex fide redempcionis mee est; ideo confundentur, cum venerit filius perdicionis in superbia sua.
Si vero venissem potentissimus et honorabilissimus, quomodo tunc humiliatus fuisset superbus? Aut nunc superbus ingredietur celum? Nequaquam.
Veni ergo humilis, vt homo addisceret humilitatem, et abscondi me a superbis, quia nec meam diuinam iusticiam nec se ipsos intelligere voluerunt."
"Item, quare fugi in Egiptum, respondeo: Ante preuaricacionem mandati vnica via erat ad celum lata et lucida, lata scilicet in virtutum habundancia, lucida in sapiencia diuina et obediencia bone voluntatis.
Transmutata ergo voluntate inchoate sunt due vie. Vna ducebat ad celum, alia abducebat; obediencia duxit ad celum, inobediencia seduxit.
Quia ergo in hominis arbitrio erat eleccio boni et mali, scilicet obedire et non obedire, ideo peccauit, quia aliter voluit quam ego Deus voluit eum velle.
Vt ergo homo saluaretur, iustum et dignum fuit, vt aliquis talis veniret, qui et redimeret, qui et obedienciam perfectam haberet et innocentiam et in quo, qui vellent, possent ostendere caritatem et, qui vellent, maliciam.
Sed ad redimendum homines non debuit mitti angelus, quia ego Deus gloriam meam alteri non tribuo. Nec inuentus est homo, qui pro se ipso posset placare me, et minus pro aliis. Ideo ego Deus solus iustus veni iustificare omnes.
Quod autem ego fugi in Egiptum, in hoc infirmitas humanitatis mee ostensa est et prophecia completa est. Exemplum eciam dedi futuris, quia quandoque persecucio declinanda est propter maiorem futuram gloriam Dei.
Quod vero non inueniebar a persequentibus, consilium deitatis mee preualuit humano, quia pugnare contra Deum non est facile.
Quod vero infantes occisi sunt, signum passionis mee future erat et misterium vocandorum et caritatis diuine.
Quia licet ipsi infantes non perhibuerint michi testimonium voce et ore, perhibuerunt tamen morte, sicut congruebat infancie mee, quia preuisum erat, vt eciam sanguine innocentum laus Dei perficeretur.
Nam licet malicia iniustorum eos iniuste afflixerit, mea permissio tamen diuina semper iusta et benigna eos non nisi iuste exposuit ad ostendendam maliciam hominum et deitatis mee incomprehensibile consilium et pietatem.
Ergo, vbi in pueris efferbuit iniusta malicia, ibi iuste superhabundauit meritum et gracia, et vbi lingue defuit confessio et etas, ibi sanguis effusus accumulabat perfectissimum bonum."
"Item, cur permitto me blasphemari, respondeo: Scriptum est, quod, cum Dauid rex declinaret persecucionem filii, quidam in via maledixit ei.
Quem serui eius volentes occidere, prohibuit eos Dauid duplici de causa: primo quia spem habuit reuersionis, secundo quia considerauit propriam infirmitatem et peccatum et fatuitatem maledicentis Deique in se pacienciam et bonitatem.
Ego sum Dauid in figura. Homo quippe persequitur me tamquam seruus dominum per mala opera sua, eiciendo me de regno meo, idest de anima, quam ego creaui, que meum regnum est.
Denique reprehendit me tamquam iniustum in iudicio, blasphemat eciam me, quia paciens sum. Verum quia mitis sum, suffero insipienciam eorum, et quia iudex sum, expecto conuersionem eorum vsque ad vltimum punctum.
Demum, quia homo credit magis falsitati quam veritati, diligens plus mundum quam me Deum suum, ideo non mirum, si malus tolleratur in malicia sua, quia nec vult inquirere veritatem nec resipiscere a malo suo."
Scripture echoes
- ↩Dan.3.27 — And the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the king's counselors, gathered together and saw these men over whom the fire had no power; the hair of their heads was not singed, and their cloaks were not changed, and the smell of fire had not come upon them.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'commixtionis carnalis' refers to the marital act; 'carnal union' is used here to maintain the theological gravity of the source while remaining readable.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'honestas' here carries the sense of moral beauty, purity, and integrity in the context of the original state of humanity.
- 3 ↩The term 'vas conclusum' (closed vessel) is a traditional theological metaphor for the Virgin Mary's perpetual virginity.
- 4 ↩The Latin 'lata' (broad) is used here in a positive sense, contrasting with the 'narrow way' of the Gospel, to describe the original state of humanity before the Fall.
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