For this same King Herod, having learned from the elders of your people—when the magi from Arabia came to him at that time, and said that from a star appearing in heaven they had come to know that a king had been born in your country, and "we have come to worship Him"—and the elders having said that it was written in Bethlehem in the prophet thus: "And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler, who shall shepherd My people"—
So when the magi from Arabia came to Bethlehem and worshiped the child and offered Him gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh—then, by a revelation, after they had worshiped the child in Bethlehem, they were commanded not to return to Herod.
And Joseph, who was betrothed to Mary, having at first wished to put away his betrothed Mary, thinking that she was pregnant from intercourse with a man—that is, from fornication—was commanded by a vision not to put away his wife, the angel who appeared to him saying that what she has in her womb is of the Holy Spirit.
So fearing, he did not put her away; but when there was at that time the first census in Judaea under Quirinius, he went up from Nazareth, where he dwelt, to Bethlehem, whence he was, to be registered; for he was of the tribe of Judah by descent, which inhabited that land. And he, together with Mary, is commanded to go forth into Egypt and to be there with the child, until it should again be revealed to them to return to Judaea.
And when the child had then been born in Bethlehem, since Joseph had nowhere in that village to lodge, he lodged in a certain cave near the village; and then, while they were there, Mary brought forth the Christ and laid Him in a manger, where the magi who came from Arabia found Him.
And that Isaiah had also foretold the sign concerning the cave, I have related to you, I said; and for the sake of those who came with you today, I will again mention the passage, I said; and I related the passage from Isaiah which I had also previously written down, saying that on account of those words, those who hand down the mysteries of Mithra are initiated by them in a place which they call a cave—a thing which I said was wrought by the devil.
And Herod, when the magi from Arabia did not return to him as he had requested them to do, but, according to what had been commanded them, departed by another way to their country—and when Joseph, together with Mary and the child, as had also been revealed to them, had already gone forth into Egypt—not knowing the child whom the magi had come to worship, commanded simply that all the children in Bethlehem be put to death.
And this had been prophesied as about to happen through Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit saying through him thus: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are not." So because of the voice which was about to be heard from Ramah—that is, from Arabia (for there is even to this day a place in Arabia called Ramah)—weeping was about to seize that place where Rachel, the wife of Jacob who was surnamed Israel, the holy patriarch, is buried—that is, Bethlehem—the women weeping for their own children who had been slain, and having no comfort over what had befallen them.
For Isaiah's saying, "He shall receive the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria," signified that the power of the evil demon dwelling in Damascus would be overcome by Christ as soon as He was born—which is shown to have come to pass. For the magi, who had been despoiled and given over to all the evil deeds wrought by that demon, by coming and worshiping the Christ are seen to have departed from that power which had despoiled them—the power which the word signified to us in a mystery to dwell in Damascus.
And being sinful and unjust, He fitly calls that power, in a parable, Samaria. And that Damascus was, and is, of the land of Arabia—even if now it is reckoned as belonging to what is called Syrophoenicia—none even of you can deny. So it would be well for you, O men, to learn the things you have not understood from us Christians, who have received grace from our God, and not to strive in every way to uphold your own teachings, dishonoring the things of God.
Therefore this grace has also been transferred to us, as Isaiah says, speaking thus: "This people draws near to me; with their lips they honor me, but their heart is far removed from me; and in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to remove this people, and I will remove them, and I will take away the wisdom of their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men I will set aside."