“In calling Him who descended from Judah and David “, the lion’s cub”, the prophet [Jacob] indicated the Son of God become a man; and by saying, “From a sprout, my son, you went up” (Gen 49:9), he foretold the fruit that flowered from the Holy Virgin, not generated by David’s seed, but conceived by the working of the Holy Spirit, sprung up from the earth as from a bud. For Isaiah says, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall flower forth from his roots” (Is 11:1). The one whom Isaiah calls a branch, Jacob calls a sprout; for the Word first sprouted [in the womb], then flowered in the world.”
Hippolytus, Christ and Antichrist 8; PG 10, 733-3
If you are interested in more quotes on Virgin Mary, you can find them in Mary and the Fathers of the Church on Amazon in both in Kindle and paperback formats.
References:
Gambero, L., 1999. Mary and the Fathers of the Church 1st ed. Translated by Buffer, T., San Francisco: Ignatius Press. p.90
