impair this faith in us, to the effect that there should appear
CHAP. IV.] Christ's birth of the virgin. 353 to show forth in the turning of water into wine. But as regards His being crucified, He was crucified in respect of His being man; and that was the hour which had not come as yet, at the time when this word was spoken, " What have I to do with thee ? Mine hour is not yet come ;" that is, the hour at which I shall recognise thee. For at that period, when He was crucified as man. He recognised His human mother (hominem matrem), and committed her most humanely (Immanissimc) to the care of the best beloved disciple.^ Nor, again, should we be moved by the fact that, when the presence of His mother and His brethren was announced to Him, He replied, " Who is my mother, or who my brethren ? " etc.^ But rather let it teach ub, that when parents hinder our ministry wherein we minister the word of God to our brethren, they ought not to be recognised by us. For if, on the ground of His having said^ " Who is my mother ? " every one should conclude that He had no mother on earth, then each should as matter of course be also compelled to deny that the apostles had fathers on earth ; since He gave them an injunction in these terms :
" Call no man your father upon the earth ; for one is your
Father, which is in heaven."
10. Neither should the thought of the v/omanly womb impair this faith in us, to the effect that there should appear to be any necessity for rejecting such a generation of our Lord for the mere reason that worthless men consider it unworthy {sordidi sordidam ^Uant). For most true are these sayings of an apostle, both that " the foolishness of God is wiser than men,"* and that "to the pure all things are pure."^
therefore, who' entertain this opinion ought to ponder the fact that the rays of this sun, which indeed they do not praise as a creature of God, but adore as God, are diffused all the world over, through the noisomenesses of sewers and every kind of horrible thing, and that they operate in these according to their nature, and yet never become debased by any defilement thence contracted, albeit that the visible light is by nature in closer conjunction with visible pollutions. How much less, therefore, could the Word of God, who is neither corporeal nor
John xix. 26, 27. = Matt. xii. 48. ' Matt, xxiii. 9.
1 Cor. i. 25. ^ Tit. i. 15. ^ In reference to the Manicheans.
FAITH. Z