Letter 4: Concerning the conflicts which you undergo, excellent sir, be convinced: the present circumstances put before us are...
Some say you desire the priesthood, a thing beyond the reach of many, and especially beyond yours. Either correct your life, then, or desist from your longing for sanctuaries that are untouchable for you. The statement in divine Scripture that "every firstborn male opening the womb shall be holy to the Lord" has not been said about every firstborn. Let not the ignorant think so. It is said about that one alone who in being born opened the womb. For every womb is opened by intercourse and union; but the womb that bore our Lord Jesus Christ, he himself, conceived without seed and coming forth, opened, and again left sealed. Truly he became man, and truly he was and is God, worshipped as one from both natures.
Human translation — Roger Pearse (additional translations)
Latin / Greek Original
Τινές σέ φασιν ἱερωσύνης ἐρᾷν, πράγματος ἀνεφ- ίχτου πολλοῖς, σοὶ δὲ χαὶ μάλιστα" ἣ τοίνυν τὸν σαυ- τοῦ βίον διόρθωσαι, ἣ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῶν ἀψαύστων σοι ἀναχτόρων ἀπόστηθι. ΚΙ΄. --- ΘΕΟΦΙΛΏ. Εἰς τὸ, ε« Πᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν, ν καὶ κατὰ Θεοπασχητῶν, καὶ τὴν [[. των] μίαν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ φύσιν εἶναι λεγόντων. Τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, ὅτι ε Πᾶν πρωτό- ργϊπιοξοηίίαπι δἀδρογίθηβ Ὑμΐνᾶπὶ., ϑβᾶποίυπιὶ Ὠο- Ὦ τοχὸν διανοῖγον μήτραν, ἅγιον τῷ Κυρίῳ, » οὐ περὶ πηΐη νοοϑυλυγ ,.) ἀ Οπληΐ ργΙ ΠΟ ΘηΠ ἀΪ- εἰυπὶ ( ο ἱπηροῦιιῖ Ὠοιηΐπ οχἰδιϊ πθη), γΘΓπὶ ἐ υηο ἰΠΠὉ . , ὶ ἰῃ ράᾶγία νυϊνδπ) ἀρογυῖΐ!, Εἰοπίαι οπλθι αυϊάοθπι νυ ϊνᾶπὶ σοηου ἃς νΘΠΟΓΘῸΒ ΘΟΙΠρίοΧυ ΔροΥΪ! : ἂὶ π|, ΄υ Ὠοηϊΐ - ΔΊ (οτγ. ν, ὁ. . Ἐχρᾷ. ΧΠΙ, ; ἰμυς. , . παντὸς εἴρηται πρωτοτόχου " μὴ οὕτως οἱ ἀμαθεῖς νομιζέτωσαν " ἀλλὰ περὶ ἑνὸς [ἐχείνου) καὶ μόνου, τοῦ ἐν τῷ τίχτεσθαι τὴν μήτραν ἀνοίξαντος. Πᾶσαν γὰρ μήτραν μίξις χαὶ συνουσία ἀνοίγνυσι" τὴν δὲ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν χυήσασαν, αὑτὸς ΥΑΒΙ(Ὲ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝῈΒ ΕἸ ΝΟΤΕ. τος ) εἶυη!. Υγ. , ὑγοὸ συϑὺθθ Πνεύματος ΑΙἰι. ἴῃ οοπίοχιι ροηΐὶ Πνεύματι, γαρίοηδ ἰη πιδγαῖπο ορροηἰι Πνεύματος. δογθ. , Ιοοο νοσδθυ αύστασις ὁοάἀ. αι. οἱ ΑἸι. φδογίθυηι σύνταξις. ΠΌΘΙΝ. () αοδά. ἄἀυο ΑΙι. εἰ αι. τπῸ οοπδδηϑιι θεότη () Νοη ᾿Αμμωνίῳ "Ἄμμωνι ἱπδογί ἱλυς Πδος ορ᾽βίοἶα ἰῃ οοιἰ. αι. οἱ ΑΙ. [ἢ νϑῦβυ , μὲν ΑἸτΔΠπ| πο ἃρηοϑοῖ!. [ἰδ νὸγβ. ὃ, ρυϑὶ δύο αὐάϊι δ, ρΓδίΘΓΟΔ ἴῃ ὙΟΓδὶ ροηυ η ΡΓῸ εὑρήσειας εἰ χρατήσειας, ἰορὶι εὑρήσεις οἱ χρατήσεις, βυῆϊτα- ἔληίο φυοῦυο αι. . ΡΟΞΞΙΝ, ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΒῸΝ {.. - ΕΡΙΤ. ΧΧΥΙ. συλληφθεὶς ἀσπόρως προερχόμενος ἤνοιξε, χαὶ πάλιν Α πῦπι ποδίτιιπι δεδυμι ΟἸ γβίυπι ρομογὶβ, ἧρϑθ βίβθ ἐσφραγισμένην κατέλιπεν - ἀληθῶς () μὲν γενό- μενος ἄνθρωπος, ἀληθῶς δὲ [ὧν χαὶ) θεὸς χαὶ προσ- χυνούμενος εἷς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν φύσεων.
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