Gregory of Nyssa, On the Annunciation

Jesus". The holy virgin says to the angel: "How shall this be to me, since I do not wish to know an earthly man, since I have devoted myself to the heavenly bridegroom? I wish to remain a virgin, I do not wish to betray the dignity of virginity." But with such words the angel strengthened the holy one: "Fear not, Mary, for I have not come to frighten you, but to drive away the cause of fear; fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Do not question grace, for grace does not endure to be subject to the laws of nature. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you, wherefore also that which is born of you will be called holy, the Son of God, of the same form, of the same essence, co-eternal with the Father. In whom the Father possesses the whole manifestation of the Godhead, the express image in his person, and through the radiance the glory shines, that he may give light to those who sit in darkness. You have learned, O blessed one, what until now was hidden even from the angels; you have known, Mary, [the things] that were unknown to the prophets and patriarchs; you have heard, Mary, things of which the choir of the God-bearers has not yet been deemed worthy. David and Isaiah and the other divinely-inspired men proclaimed beforehand concerning the Lord's incarnation, but they did not know the how. But you alone, holy virgin, receive and learn the mysteries unknown to these; and do not reason 'how shall this be to me?' for he who formed man from virgin earth, he also now does what he wishes, that he may save his own creation." Now it is fitting for me to marvel as much as possible at the manner of the holy virgin.

This one the angel formerly again greeted, "hail, full of grace," since with her the whole treasure of grace dwells. From all generations she alone was deemed worthy to bear God; she alone bears him who bears all things by his word. And it is possible to marvel not only at the beauty of the Theotokos, but also at the virtue of her soul, for which reason also the angel proclaimed to her, "hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," for the holy one, having prepared her soul as a lodging for God, became a receptacle of strange and divine mysteries. Come, therefore, beloved, let us too pay the debt according to our ability, following the voice of the angel let us cry out: "hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," for it is truly yours to rejoice, since the Lord of all has tabernacled with you, as he knows how. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," not an earthly bridegroom, but the Lord himself, the father of purity, the guardian of virginity and lord of sanctification, the creator of incorruption and giver of freedom, the guardian of salvation and the steward and bestower of true peace; the Lord himself is with you, since in you divine grace has rested. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," no longer does Adam fear the deceitful serpent, for he who is born of you has destroyed all the power of the enemy, no longer does the race of men fear the error and deceit of the serpent, for the Lord has crushed the heads of the dragon in the water of baptism, no longer do I fear to hear "you are earth, and to earth you shall return," for the Lord in holy baptism has washed away the filth of sin from me, no longer do I weep, no longer do I mourn, no longer do I say "I am turned to misery for thorns are fixed in me," for the Lord, having rooted out the thorn of our sins, has crowned his own head. My sin is loosed, loosed is my ancient curse which says "thorns and thistles the earth shall bring forth for you"; the thorn has been rooted out, the thistle has withered, the tree of life and of grace has blossomed from the holy virgin. No longer does Eve fear reproach, nor the pain of childbirth, for in the holy virgin her transgression has been saved.

For the holy virgin has become for us a fount of life, a fount of light for those who believe in Christ, being the rising of the intelligible light. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," and from you, he who is perfect in Godhead, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," with the handmaiden the King,

Ἰησοῦν". Λέγει πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον ἡ ἁγία παρθέ νος· "Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ ἄνδρα γήϊνον οὐ βούλομαι γνῶναι, ἐπειδὴ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ νυμφίῳ ἐμαυτὴν ἀπεκλήρωσα; βούλομαι μένειν παρθένος, τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς παρθενίας προ δοῦναι οὐ βούλομαι". Λόγοις δὲ τοιούτοις ὁ ἄγγελος τὴν ἁγίαν ἐστήριζε· "Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαρίαμ, οὐ γὰρ φοβῆσαί σε παραγέγονα, ἀλλ' ἀποδιῶξαι τοῦ φόβου τὴν ὑπόθεσιν· μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαρίαμ, εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ· τὴν χάριν μὴ ἀνάκρινε, νόμοις γὰρ φύσεως ἡ χάρις ὑπήκειν οὐκ ἀνέχεται. Ἅγιον δὲ πνεῦμα ἐπί σε ἐπελεύσεται, διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ, σύμμορφος, συνομοούσιος, συναΐ διος τῷ πατρί. Ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα κέκτηται ὁ πατὴρ τῆς θεότητος τὴν φανέρωσιν, ὁ χαρακτὴρ ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀπαυγάσματος ἡ δόξα καταλάμπεται, ἵνα φωτίσῃ τοὺς ἐν σκότει καθημένους. Μεμάθηκας, ὦ μακαρία, ἃ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν κεκρυμμένα καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἐτύγχανε· ἔγνως, Μαρία, [τὰ] τοὺς προφήτας καὶ πατριάρχας λανθάνοντα· ἀκήκοας, Μαρία, ὧν οὐδέπω ὁ χορὸς τῶν θεοφόρων ἠξίωται. ∆αβὶδ καὶ Ἡσαΐας καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ θεηγόροι περὶ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἐνανθρωπίσεως προεκήρυττον, ἀλλὰ τὸ πῶς οὐκ ἐπίσταντο. Σὺ δὲ μόνη ἁγία παρθένε τὰ τούτοις ἀγνοηθέντα μυστήρια ὑποδέχου καὶ μάνθανε· καὶ μὴ λογίζου "πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο;" ὁ γὰρ ἐκ παρθένου γῆς πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, αὐτὸς καὶ νῦν ποιεῖ ὅσα βούλεται, ἵνα σώσῃ πλάσμα τὸ ἴδιον". Νῦν μοι τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου τὸν τρόπον θαυμάζειν ὡς ἔνεστι πρέποντος.

Ταύτην ὁ ἄγγελος πρώην πάλιν "χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη" ἡσπάσατο, ἐπειδὴ μετ' αὐτῆς ὅλος ὁ θησαυρὸς τῆς χάριτος πολιτεύεται. Ἐκ πασῶν γενεῶν μόνη γεννῆσαι θεὸν κατηξιώται· μόνη φέρει τὸν τὰ πάντα φέροντα τῷ ῥήματι. Καὶ οὐ μόνον θαυμάζειν ἔνεστι τῆς θεοτόκου τὸ κάλλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἐνάρετον, διὸ καὶ τό "χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου" προεφώνησεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος, ξενείαν γὰρ τῷ θεῷ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ ἁγία εὐτρεπήσασα, ξενίων καὶ θείων μυστηρίων δοχεῖον γέγονε. ∆εῦρο τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀγαπητοὶ τὴν κατὰ δύναμιν ὀφειλὴν ἀποτίσωμεν, τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ ἀγγέλου συνεπόμενοι κεκράζωμεν· "χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου", σὸν γὰρ τὸ χαίρειν ὡς ἀληθῶς, ἐπειδὴ ὁ κύριος τῶν ἁπάντων μετά σου, ὡς οἶδεν, ἐσκήνωσε. "Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου", οὐ γήϊνος νυμφίος, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ὁ τῆς ἁγνείας πατήρ, ὁ τῆς παρθενίας φύλαξ καὶ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ κύριος, ὁ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας κτίστης καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας δωτήρ, ὁ τῆς σωτηρίας κηδεμὼν καὶ τῆς ἀληθοῦς εἰρήνης ταμείας χορηγός· αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος μετά σου, ἐπειδὴ ἐν σοὶ ἡ θεῖα χάρις ἐπανεπαύσατο. "Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου", οὐκ ἔτι Ἀδὰμ φοβεῖται τὸν ὄφιν τὸν δόλιον, ὁ γὰρ ἐκ σοῦ γεννώμενος πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ κατήργησε, οὐκ ἔτι τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν πλάνην καὶ τὸν δόλον τοῦ ὄφεως φοβεῖται, ὁ γὰρ κύριος συνέτριψεν τὰς κεφαλὰς τοῦ δράκοντος ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τοῦ βαπτίσματος, οὐκ ἔτι φοβοῦμαι ἐγὼ ἀκούειν "γῆ εἴ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ", ὁ γὰρ κύριος ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ βαπτίσματι τὸν ῥύπον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπέσμιξεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ ἔτι κλαίω, οὐκ ἔτι πενθῶ, οὐκ ἔτι λέγω "ἐστράφην εἰς ταλαιπωρίαν ἐν τῷ ἐμπαγῆναί μοι ἄκανθαι", ὁ γὰρ κύριος τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐκριζώσας ἄκανθαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν ἐστεφάνωσεν. Λέλυταί μου ἡ ἁμαρτία, λέλυταί μου ἡ ἀρχαία κατάρα ἡ λέγουσα "ἄκανθας καὶ τριβόλους ἡ γῆ ἀνατελεῖ σοι"· ἐξεριζώθη ἡ ἄκανθα, ἐξηράνθη ἡ τρίβολος, ἤνθησεν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς χάριτος. Οὐκ ἔτι ἡ Εὔα φοβεῖται τὸ ὄνειδος, οὔτε τοῦ τόκου τὴν ὠδῖνα ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἁγίᾳ παρθένῳ τὸ ἐκείνης πταῖσμα ἀνασέσωσται.

Πηγὴ γὰρ ζωῆς ἡ ἁγία παρθένος ἡμῖν γέγονε, πηγὴ φωτὸς τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ πιστεύουσι, ἀνατολὴ τοῦ νοεροῦ φωτὸς τυγχάνουσα. "Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου", καὶ ἐκ σοῦ, ὁ ἐν θεότητι τέλειος, ἐν ᾧ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος. "Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετά σου", μετὰ τῆς δούλης ὁ βασιλεύς,