shall be called, refers only to the Lord. Was Cain holy, who cast off his life in profanity, because he was the first of all to come from his mother’s womb? Was Esau holy, the enemy and heir of the sword, because he too was the first to fall from his mother’s womb? Was Reuben holy, who defiled his father’s bed and brought up a sentence of a curse, because he too was the first to come from the fruitful belly of Leah? None of these is holy, all these are under penance. From which it is shown that the saying, 'Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,' refers to the Lord, according to Gabriel who said to the virgin: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.' But it is certainly possible for one of the objectors to say that if, then, the saying, 'Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,' refers to the Lord, the virgin did not remain a virgin.

For the scripture cried out that 'Every male that opens the womb'; the virginal womb was certainly opened, if it has reference to the Lord. Listen with understanding: with respect to the virginal nature, the virginal gates were not opened at all by the will of the one just carried in the womb, according to the saying spoken about him: 'This is the gate of the Lord, and he will enter and he will go out, and the gate will be shut.' Therefore, with respect to the virginal nature, the virginal gates were not opened at all; but with respect to the power of the master who was born, nothing is shut to the Lord, but all things have been opened. Nothing hindering, nothing troubling; all things have been opened to the Lord. Whence also the highest powers above, commanding those below, have cried out saying: 'Lift up your gates, O you rulers, and the King of glory shall come in.' Wonderful, therefore, is virginity, true virginity, since there is also a difference in virginity: some who slumbered, some who kept watch. Wonderful also is marriage, true and honorable marriage; for many have kept it and many have been shaken from it. And wonderful also is widowhood; for it is good to commemorate the three orders. And, as I said before, wonderful also is widowhood, true widowhood, which has conquered the contest of undefiled struggles; such was Anna the prophetess, who has just been read to us, who grew old well and was renewed like an eagle. You have just heard the evangelist Luke saying: 'And there was Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who served in the temple with fasting and prayers night and day.' Have you seen in what ways and how the widow Anna is adorned in the divine gospels? Truly Anna is grace; the designation of the name concurred with the glory of her ways. Let the women hear and emulate the glorious Anna; let them run the same course, that they may receive equal crowns. Let no one make lack of protection an excuse, lest they shake off the purity of monogamy. Anna is the crown of widows: a woman in appearance, a prophetess in rank; living in widowhood, being nourished in a kingdom; relaxed in body, strengthened in soul; wrinkled in face, intent in mind; stooped with old age, walking upright in knowledge; aged with many years, vigorous in the knowledge of God; fasting and not gluttonous; praying and not wandering; devoting herself to the temple, not running around to the houses of others; singing psalms, not talking nonsense; prophesying, not telling tales; meditating on divine things, not causing unseemliness. Anna surpassed the widow blessed by the apostle. Which one? Hear Paul saying: 'Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years old, if she has brought up children, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if to those in need

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κληθήσεται, εἰς τὸν κύριον μόνον ἀναφέρεται. Μὴ ἆρα ὁ Κάϊν ἅγιος, ὁ ἐν βεβηλότητι τὸ ζῆν ἀπορρήξας, ἐπειδὴ πρὸ πάντων οὗτος τῆς μητρικῆς μήτρας ἔξαρχος γέγονεν; Μὴ ἆρα ὁ Ἡσαῦ ἅγιος, ὁ πολέμιος καὶ μαχαίρας κληρονόμος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὗτος τῆς μητρικῆς νηδύος πρῶτος ἐξέπεσεν; Μὴ ἆρα ὁ Ῥουβὴμ ἅγιος, ὁ τὴν πατρικὴν κοίτην ὑβρίσας καὶ κατάρας ἀπόφασιν ἀναζέσας, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὗτος τῆς πολυγόνου κοιλίας τῆς Λίας πρῶτος ἐξῆλθεν; Οὐδεὶς τούτων ἅγιος, πάντες οὗτοι ἐν ἐπιτιμίοις. Ἐξ ὧν δείκνυται ὅτι εἰς τὸν κύριον τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει τό· Πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται, κατὰ τὸν Γαβριὴλ τὸν εἰρηκότα πρὸς τὴν παρθένον· Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι, διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰπεῖν τινα τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων, ὅτι εἰ τοίνυν εἰς τὸν κύριον τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει τό· Πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται, οὐκ ἔμεινεν ἡ παρθένος παρθένος.

Ἐφώνησε γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ ὅτι Πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν· ἀνέῳκτο πάντως ἡ παρθενικὴ μήτρα, εἰ εἰς τὸν κύριον τὴν ἀναφορὰν κέκτηται. Ἄκουε συνετῶς· πρὸς μὲν τὴν παρθενικὴν φύσιν οὐδ' ὅλως αἱ παρθενικαὶ πύλαι ἠνεῴχθησαν βουλήσει τοῦ ἀρτίως κυοφορηθέντος κατὰ τὸ φάσκον περὶ αὐτοῦ ῥητόν· Αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ ἔσται ἡ πύλη κεκλεισμένη. Ὡς πρὸς τὴν παρθενικὴν τοίνυν φύσιν οὐδ' ὅλως ἠνεῴχθησαν αἱ παρθενικαὶ πύλαι· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ τεχθέντος δεσπότου οὐδὲν κέκλεισται τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἠνέῳκται. Οὐδὲν τὸ παρεμποδίζον, οὐδὲν τὸ παρενοχλοῦν· πάντα τῷ κυρίῳ ἠνέῳκται. Ὅθεν καὶ αἱ ἄνω ὑπέρταται δυνάμεις ταῖς κάτω παρεγγυῶσαι κεκράγασι λέγουσαι· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Θαυμαστὴ τοιγαροῦν ἡ παρθενία, ἡ ἀληθὴς παρθενία, ἐπειδή ἐστι καὶ ἐν παρθενίᾳ διαφορά· αἱ μὲν νυστάξασαι, αἱ δὲ γρηγορήσασαι. Θαυμαστὸς καὶ ὁ γάμος, ὁ ἀληθὴς γάμος καὶ τίμιος· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐφύλαξαν καὶ πολλοὶ παρεσάλευσαν. Θαυμαστὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ χηροσύνη· καλὸν γὰρ τῶν τριῶν ταγμάτων ἀπομνημονεῦσαι. Καί, ὡς προεῖπον, θαυμαστὴ καὶ ἡ χηροσύνη, ἡ ὄντως χηροσύνη, ἡ τὸν τῶν ἀμιάντων ἄθλων ἀγῶνα νικήσασα· οἵα γέγονεν ἡ ἀρτίως ἡμῖν παραναγνωσθεῖσα Ἄννα ἡ προφῆτις, ἡ καλῶς γηράσασα καὶ ὡς ἀετὸς ἀνακαινισθεῖσα. Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Λουκᾶ λέγοντος· Καὶ ἦν Ἄννα προφῆτις, θυγάτηρ Φανουήλ, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσήρ, αὕτη προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ἡμέραις πολλαῖς, ζήσασα μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἔτη ἑπτὰ ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς· καὶ αὕτη χήρα ὡς ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα τεσσάρων, ἥτις ἐν νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσιν ἐλάτρευεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν. Εἶδες ἐν τίσιν καὶ οἵα ἡ χήρα Ἄννα ἐν τοῖς θείοις εὐαγγελίοις ἐγκεκαλλώπισται; Ὄντως ἄννα ἡ Ἄννα· συνέδραμεν τῇ τῶν τρόπων εὐδοξίᾳ ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος προσηγορία. Ἀκουέτωσαν αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ ζηλούτωσαν τὴν ἔνδοξον Ἄνναν· τὸν ὅμοιον δρόμον τρεχέτωσαν, ἵνα τῶν ἴσων στεφάνων ἀπολαύσωσιν. Μηδεὶς ἀπροστασίαν προφασίσηται, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἁγνείαν τῆς μονογαμίας ἀποσείσηται. Στέφανος τῶν χηρῶν ἡ Ἄννα· γυνὴ τὸ σχῆμα, προφῆτις τὸ τάγμα· ἐν χηροσύνῃ διάγουσα, ἐν βασιλείᾳ διατρεφομένη· κεχαλασμένη τὸ σῶμα, νενευρωμένη τὴν ψυχήν· ἐρρυσιδωμένη τὴν ὄψιν, διατεταμένη τὴν φρόνησιν· τῷ γήρᾳ συγκύπτουσα, ὀρθοβατοῦσα τῇ γνώσει· τῇ πολυετίᾳ πεπαλαιωμένη, σφριγῶσα τῇ θεογνωσίᾳ· νηστεύουσα καὶ μὴ ἀδηφαγοῦσα· δεομένη καὶ μὴ ῥεμβομένη· τῷ ἱερῷ σχολάζουσα, ἀλλοτρίους οἴκους μὴ περι τρέχουσα· ψάλλουσα, μὴ φλυαροῦσα· προφητεύουσα, μὴ μυθολο γοῦσα· τὰ θεῖα μελετῶσα, τὰ ἄσεμνα μὴ προξενοῦσα. Ὑπερέβαλεν ἡ Ἄννα τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου μακαριζομένην χήραν. Ποίαν ταύτην; Ἄκουε Παύλου λέγοντος· Χήρα καταλεγέσθω μὴ ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα, εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ δεομένοις

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