Eight Days old on the Side of His Mother,
And Eternal on the Side of His Father
When the Savior condescended for the sake of mankind, He was willing to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, and He Who was eight days old on the side of His Mother, and eternal on the side of His Father did not disdain the circumcision of the flesh. Wherefore, let us cry to Him, O believers, Thou art our God; have mercy upon us.
The all-good God did not disdain to be circumcised by the circumcision of the flesh; but offered Himself a Sign and an Exemplar of salvation to all, for the Maker of the law doth fulfill the precepts of the law, and the preaching of the Prophets concerning Him. Wherefore, O Thou Who dost contain all in Thy grasp, O Thou Who wast wrapped in swaddling clothes, O Lord, glory to Thee.
— Doxasticon For The Circumcision
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2.21 ESV)
“Eight days old on the side of His Mother, and eternal on the side of His Father” what incomprehensible Truth is contained in these few words! Nestled between the Feasts of Nativity and Theophany is the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord on January 1. In this phrase, we learn our Lord is both True Man and True God yet united in one person.
This teaching was codified at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and is expressed in many of our Theotokia (hymns to the Blessed Virgin) such as the 8th tone Resurrectional Theotokion.
Verily, the King of heaven, for His love to mankind, did appear on earth; and with men did He deal; for He took unto Himself a body from the pure Virgin. And from her did He issue in the adopted body, He being one Son, dual in Nature, not dual in Person. Wherefore, do we confess, preaching the truth that Christ our God is perfect God and perfect Man. Therefore, O Mother who hast no groom, beseech thou Him to have mercy upon our souls.
The Son of God entered into the human condition; the Lawgiver fulfills the Law and the Word of God fulfills the preaching of the Prophets. Hebrews says Christ became True Man in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest. He was made like us in every respect and was tempted like us, (but unlike Adam he withstood temptation) to be able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2.17–18). In this decent Christ elevated humanity and is making us children of God (John 1.12).
Since Christ is True God, he renewed his creation fallen into sin. “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5.16-19)
Who is so great a god like our God? He is the God who works wonders!
O Son of God, Who wast circumcised in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee. Alleluia. In his circumcision, the Lawgiver fulfilled the precepts of the Law.