John Chrysostom, On the Annunciation of the Most Holy God-bearer

In annuntiationem sanctissimae deiparae

On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.

60.755 Let us celebrate today a feast of royal mysteries; all creation

rejoices, gathered together. Heaven, by its stars, led those hastening to the festival; the earth, through its shepherds, ran to worship. Isaiah, with the swift step of prophecy, was walking, to show the virgin to the festival; Jeremiah, declining, but pointing out the very Lord of this festival, saying: This is our God. Zechariah, bringing joy to the festival-goers, ran down, revealing the command of the Lord's coming: Rejoice, he said, daughter of Zion; for behold, your king comes to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey and a young colt. Mary and Joseph, in the manger, set forth a most precious pearl in a showcase; the magi, seeing and being amazed at the beauty of its nature, announced him to Herod as a worthy king.

And he, when he heard, and hid with deceit a death-bearing worship, was eager to see the pearl; but since he was unworthy, he failed in what he desired; and he, as though mocked, con 60.756 sidered what he should do. And angels of bodiless natures, dancing in the festival, said: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. O the strange and paradoxical wonder! The subject of the feast overcomes every tongue, to speak the praises of Mary, to whom the angel was sent and cried: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. And she, rising up, looked upon the speaker with a sideways glance; and while she was astonished at the sight of his appearance, she weighed his words in her own mind, what sort of greeting this might be, saying: O stranger, with a strange voice you speak strange things. Do you either not know the custom of those who greet, or are you testing me, if I happen to be easy to capture? The “Hail” is common to all who greet; but “Full of grace” is strange, especially to those professing godliness in a life of modesty. Wherefore, threatening him with a stern face and an angry look, she drove away the one who spoke: Go away, go away, man, from my doorway; you have come from the very beginning; you do not please me, I think. You want to carry me off, like Eve, the mother of our race; you will not conquer the beauty of my face, nor the conscience which I have toward my poor betrothed. 60.757 Before the old man comes, flee from my house; leave this place, lest the old man blame you; for he is jealous. It is better for you to depart; for if he sees you speaking and announcing such things to me, things that human nature cannot contain, you will bring affliction upon yourself, and grief and tears upon me. But he uttered, “Hail, full of grace,” unceasingly. And the virgin, seeing the persistence of the one present, lent her ear, wishing to learn more precisely the earnestness of the one who spoke, and having heard, “Hail, full of grace,” she awaited what would follow. And he added, “The Lord is with you.” But as soon as the virgin heard, “The Lord is with you,” she quickly called the speaker inside. You have brought the Lord, she said, with you; come inside, and quickly tell me why you have come. And the angel: Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel; he will be great, a mighty God, a prince of peace, a ruler, the Father of the age to come. And the virgin: Not yet the wedding, not yet the bridal chamber; and already the birth? You do not have what you will do. If you need anything as a stranger, take it and go, and do not prophesy untimely what you do not know. Yet if I do conceive a son, it will certainly be from Joseph. And the angel, Do not be deceived; This one will be

In annuntiationem sanctissimae deiparae

Εἰς τὸν εὐαγγελισμὸν τῆς ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου.

60.755 Βασιλικῶν μυστηρίων ἑορτὴν ἑορτάσωμεν σήμερον· ἡ σύμπασα κτίσις

ἀγάλλεται συναχθεῖσα. Οὐρανὸς δὲ ἀστέρων ἐχειραγώγει τοὺς εἰς τὴν πανήγυριν σπεύδοντας· γῆ διὰ τῶν ποιμένων εἰς τὴν προσκύνησιν ἔτρεχεν· Ἡσαΐας γοργῷ προφητείας τῷ βήματι ἐβάδιζεν, ἵνα ὑποδείξῃ τῇ πανηγύρει τὴν παρθένον· Ἱερεμίας παραιτούμενος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑποδεικνύων αὐτῆς τῆς πανηγύρεως λέγων· Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ζαχαρίας χαρὰν φέρων τοῖς πανηγυρισταῖς κατέτρεχε, ∆εσποτικῆς παρουσίας ἐμφανίζων τὸ πρόσταγμα· Χαῖρε, λέγων, θύγατερ Σιών· ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πρᾶος, ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον. Μαρία καὶ Ἰωσὴφ, ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ προθήκῃ πολυτίμητον μαργαρίτην προέθηκαν· οἱ μάγοι ἰδόντες καὶ θαμβηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει τῆς φύσεως, τοῦτον τῷ Ἡρώδῃ ὡς ἄξιον βασιλέα ἐμήνυσαν.

Ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας, καὶ δόλῳ κρύψας θανατηφόρον προσκύνησιν, τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὸν μαργαρίτην ἐσπούδασεν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀνάξιος ἦν, τοῦ ποθουμένου ἀπέτυχε· κἀκεῖνος ὡς ἐμπαιχθεὶς, ἐσ 60.756 κέπτετο τί πράξει. Ἄγγελοι δὲ ἀσωμάτων φύσεων ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει χορεύοντες ἔλεγον· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη. Ὢ τοῦ ξένου καὶ παραδόξου θαύματος· πᾶσαν γλῶτταν νικᾷ τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡ ὑπόθεσις τοῦ εἰπεῖν τὰ τῆς Μαρίας ἐγκώμια, πρὸς ἣν ἀποσταλεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος ἐβόα· Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Ἡ δὲ διαναστᾶσα, πλαγίῳ τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τὸν λέγοντα ἐπεσκόπευσε· καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ θέᾳ τῆς ὄψεως ἐξενίζετο, τοὺς δὲ λόγους ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῆς διανοίᾳ ἐστάθμιζε, ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος, λέγουσα· Ὦ ξένε, ξένῃ φωνῇ ξενίζεις φθεγγόμενος. Ἢ ἀγνοεῖς τὴν τῶν προσαγορευόντων συνήθειαν, ἢ δοκιμάζεις με, εἰ εὐάλωτος τυγχάνω; Τὸ μὲν, Χαῖρε, πάντων τῶν προσαγορευόντων κοινόν· τὸ δὲ Κεχαριτωμένη, ξένον, μάλιστα ταῖς ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν ἐν σεμνότητι βίου. Ὅθεν αὐστηρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ ὀργίλῳ τῷ βλέμματι ἐπαπειλησαμένη, ἐδίωξε τὸν εἰπόντα· Ἄπιθι, ἄπιθι, ἄνθρωπε, ἐκ προθύρων ἐμῶν· ἐκ προοιμίων ἐλήλυθας· οὐκ ἀρέσκεις μοι νομίζων. Συλαγωγῆσαί με θέλεις, ὡς Εὔαν τὴν ἐκ γένους μητέρα· οὐ νικήσεις κάλλος ἐμῆς ὄψεως, οὐ συνείδησιν, ἣν ἔχω πρὸς πένητα μνηστῆρα 60.757 ἐμόν. Πρὸ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ὁ γέρων, τοῦ οἴκου μου ἀπόδραθι· κατάλιπε τὰ ἐνταῦθα, μὴ αἰτιάσηταί σε ὁ πρεσβύτης· ζηλότυπος γάρ ἐστιν. Ἀναχωρεῖν συμφέρει σοι· ἐὰν γὰρ ἴδῃ σε λαλοῦντα, καὶ ἐπαγγελλόμενόν μοι τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ἀχώρητα, καὶ σεαυτῷ προξενήσεις θλῖψιν, καὶ ἐμοὶ πένθος καὶ δάκρυα. Ὁ δὲ τὸ, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἀπαραιτήτως ἐφθέγγετο. Θεωρήσασα δὲ ἡ παρθένος τὴν ἐπιμονὴν τοῦ παρόντος, παρεφήπλωσε τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἀκριβέστερον βουλομένη μαθεῖν τοῦ εἰπόντος τὴν σπουδὴν, καὶ τὸ, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἀκούσασα, μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξεδέχετο. Ὁ δὲ ἐπάγει, Ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Μόνον δὲ ἤκουσεν ἡ παρθένος τὸ, Ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ ἐσώτερον ἐκάλει τὸ τάχος τὸν εἰπόντα. Τὸν Κύριον, φησὶν, ἐνήνοχας μετὰ σεαυτοῦ, ἐσώτερον εἴσελθε, καὶ δι' ὃ παραγέγονας, τὸ τάχος διήγησαι. Καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος· Ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ, καὶ τέξεις υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ· οὗτος ἔσται μέγας, Θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, ἐξουσιαστὴς, Πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Καὶ ἡ παρθένος· Οὔπω οἱ γάμοι, οὔπω ὁ νυμφών· καὶ ἤδη ὁ τοκετός; Οὐκ ἔχεις, τί πράξεις. Εἰ χρῄζεις τινὸς ὡς ξένος, λαβὼν πορεύου, καὶ μὴ ἀκαίρως ὃ οὐκ οἶδας προφήτευε. Ὅμως εἰ καὶ συλλήψομαι υἱὸν, πάντως ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος, Μὴ ἀπατῶ· Οὗτος ἔσται