Letter 258

To the same person. Who gave to women the wisdom of weaving? The Master [the Lord] was speaking with Job [Job 38:36, where God questions Job out of the whirlwind]. For the first woman [Eve] obtained the wisdom to weave visible garments, that with these we might cover over the apparent nakedness of bodies. But the second woman, that is, the Theotokos [the Mother of God], displayed so great a wisdom and so embroidering a skill that, out of the wool of the Lamb born from her, she clothed all the faithful in the garments of incorruption and set them free from the unseen nakedness. For the whole true company of Christians stands at the right hand of the King on high, robed in gold-shot raiment, embroidered with the ten thousand kinds of the virtues.

Τίς ἔδωκε γυναιξὶ σοφίαν ὑφαντικήν; ὁ Δεσπότης τῷ Ἰὼβ διελέγετο. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ πρώτη γυνὴ σοφίας τετύχηκεν ἐξυφαίνειν ἱμάτια βλεπόμενα, ἵνα τὴν φαινομένην τῶν σωμάτων γύμνωσιν τούτοις περισκέπωμεν. Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα, τουτέστιν ἡ Θεοτόκος, τηλι- ταύτην σοφίαν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ ποικιλτικὴν ἐπιστήμην, ὥστε ἐκ τῶν ἐρίων τοῦ ἐξ αὐτῆς γεννηθέντος ἀρνίου ἐνδῦσαι τοὺς πιστοὺς ἅπαντας, τὰ ἐνδύματα τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, καὶ τὸ ἀοράτου ἐλευθερῶσαι γυμνώσεως. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ σύστημα Χριστιανῶν ἀληθινὸν πάρεστι ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ ἄνω Βασιλέως, ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένον, πεποικιλμένον τοῖς μυρίοις τῶν ἀρετῶν εἴδεσιν.