“Had it been so, what need would there have been for the Virgin’s womb? And what would he have had in common with us, because his flesh would have been different from ours, since it would not have been derived from the same human substance as ours? In what way would he have been descended from the root of Jesse? How could he be called shoot and flower of this root? How could he have been called Son of man? On what pretext could Mary have been called his Mother? How would he have come forth from David’s line? How did he take the form of a slave (Phil 2:7)? How could one hold that “the Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14)? And how could Paul have told the Romans that “from them [the Jews] came Christ according to the flesh, he who is God over all’ (Rom 9:5)?
Based on all these proofs and on many others besides, we establish that Jesus came forth from us and from our human substance and that he was born of the Virgin’s womb, but how this happened we do not see. So do not pry into the mystery, but humbly accept what God has revealed, and do not be curious about what God keeps hidden.?”
John Chrysostom, Homily on Matthew 4, 3; PG 57, 43.
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.
