The Nativity by Giotto de Bordoe
“Astonishingly, to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe! If only you and I can avoid being offended by their generosity.” Neal A. Maxwell
Philo states, “The high priest is not a man but a divine logos..His father being God, who is likewise Father of All, and his mother Wisdom, through whom the universe came into existence. Moreover, his head has benn anointed with oil, and by that I mean that his ruling faulty is illumined with a bright ight, in uch wise that he is deemed worthy to put on the garments. “
Phil, on Flight, 108-10
“In that hour that He was born, the voice of many beings proclaimed in unison,
Ahman! (the name of his Father, Ahman). And the light which was born was multiplied and it obscured the light of the sun itself by its shining rays. The cave was filled with bright light and with the most sweet smell. The Child was born just as dew descends from heaven to earth and His perfume was fragrant beyond all the smell of ointments. “
The midwife comments, “His whole body was shining, just as the dew of the Most High God. He was light to carry, radiant to see.” The Gospel of Arundel, J.K. Elliott, The Apocrypal NT,
καθισμη (ka-tees-ma) "the sitting," or "the squatting." Mary sitting or squatting.
"He sucked the breast as was customary, that he might not be recognized."
The Ascension of Isaiah
“God is the husband of Wisdom….for it is meet that God should hold converse with the truly virgin nature, that which is undefiled….But it is the opposite with us. For the union of human beings turns virgins into women, but when God begins to consort with the soul, he makes what before was a woman into a virgin again.” Philo, Cherubim, 50
Well of Water; Tree of Life “Καθισμα”
From Jerusalem apace
Sits Kathisma’s resting place.
Mary, drinking in the glade,
Palms bow down to feed and shade.
She, now resting, sweetly humming,
Trusts the grand, eventful coming.
She, her duty to complete.
He, the heir to David’s seat.
Well of life, the waters sending,
Tree of life, her branches bending.
She and baby rest alone,
Rock of Israel on a stone.
©2018 Brian H. Pead