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Luke the physician"; for indeed Luke is a physician of the soul. Do you wish to see his workshop? Look at the heaven. Do you wish to see his medical practice? Look at his ecumenical circuit. Do you wish to see his pharmacy? Look at the surgery of the Jewish tongues. Do you wish to see his herbs? Look at the various healings. Do you wish to see the sick whom he visits on his rounds? Look at the neighboring heretics. For on the one hand, those who reject the Spirit are sick with blasphemy, and on the other, those who reject the Son suffer from the disease of atheism, but to both, just like a physician, he prescribes what is suitable, saying to these: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit," and crying out to those: "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father either." Truly, a great physician is Luke.

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And do you wish to see his art? Look at the divine gospel; for the other evangelists made their narrative in a single manner. For example: Matthew began from the genealogy according to the flesh, saying: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Mark also proclaimed the economy according to the flesh, saying: "Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee." But John, the evangelical eagle, the theological lyre, alone proclaimed the beginningless and unwitnessed generation and the co-eternal existence. And let the mouths of the slanderers be stopped, for he was begotten alone from the alone and the generation from above is unwitnessed. For time was not present; for he is the creator of all the ages. An angel was not present; for it is he "who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire." Heaven was not present; "For by the Word of the Lord the heavens were established." The sun was not present; for he is "the sun of righteousness." The moon was not present; "For the moon and stars he himself established." The earth was not present; for he said: "Let the waters be gathered together and let the dry land appear." Unwitnessed, therefore, is the generation from above, divine and inconceivable, since only the Father knows how he begot, and the Son how he was begotten. John, therefore, alone proclaimed the beginningless generation and the co-eternal existence.

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But the blessed Luke, the excellent one of the evangelists and merchant of this wondrous stone and precious pearl, the sleepless guardian of the city, the experienced physician of souls, the impregnable wall of kings, narrated the whole mystery at once, the good news of Gabriel, the piety of the virgin, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the form of God, the impassible emptying of the Godhead, the unchangeable and unconfused nature of the incarnation, the inviolability of virginity, the immediacy of the conception, the incorruptibility of the birth, the annunciation of the angel to the virgin, saying: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you."

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O salutation fitting for no other, if not for the holy virgin alone. Eve gave birth, but in sorrows, Sarah gave birth, but in pain, Rebecca gave birth, but in groans, Hannah gave birth, but in tears, Elizabeth gave birth, but in corruption, all gave birth in sorrows because all conceived with corruption. But you alone rejoice, O gate of God and cloud of mystery. You alone rejoice, O unconfined temple of the uncircumscribed. You alone rejoice; for he who was incarnate from you "has taken away every tear from every face." You alone rejoice, O mother and heaven, O daughter and cloud, O virgin and throne; for as a mother you bore him who is from you and before you and with you, and as a virgin you conceived the Word and travailed with a mystery, as a throne in your womb you carried him whom in substance no one can circumscribe.

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For this reason the prophet Isaiah, astonished at the virginal mystery, cried out: "A voice of a cry from the city, a voice of a cry from the temple" was heard. But what are you saying, O prophet? Secure is the riddle and deep is the meaning. "A voice of a cry from the city, a voice

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Λουκᾶς ὁ ἰατρός»· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ψυχικός ἐστιν ἰατρὸς ὁ Λουκᾶς. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν τούτου τὸ ἐργαστήριον; Βλέπε τὸν οὐρανόν. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰατρείαν; Βλέπε τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν αὐτοῦ περιοδείαν. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν φαρμακοθήκην; Βλέπε τὴν χειρουργίαν τῶν ἰουδαϊκῶν γλωσσῶν. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰς βοτάνας; Βλέπε τὰς διαφόρους ἰάσεις. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν οὓς περιοδεύει ἀρρώστους; Βλέπε τοὺς γειτονεύοντας αἱρετικούς. Ἔνθεν μὲν γὰρ οἱ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἀθετοῦντες βλασφημίαν ἀρρωστοῦσιν, κἀκεῖθεν οἱ τὸν Υἱὸν ἀθετοῦντες ἀθεΐαν νοσοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἑκατέροις καθάπερ ἰατρὸς ἐπι τάττει τὰ πρόσφορα, τούτοις λέγων· «Μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον», κἀκείνοις βοῶν· «Ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν Υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα τιμᾷ». Ὄντως μέγας ἰατρὸς ὁ Λουκᾶς.

6 Καὶ θέλεις ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν τέχνην; Βλέπε τὸ θεῖον εὐαγγέλιον· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι εὐαγγελισταὶ μονότροπον ἐποιήσαντο τὴν διήγησιν. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Μαθθαῖος ἐκ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γενεαλογίας ἤρξατο εἰπών· «Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ». Ὁ Μᾶρκος καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν κατὰ σάρκα οἰκονομίαν ἐκήρυξεν εἰπών· «Ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας.» Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς ἀετός, ἡ θεολόγος λύρα, μόνην τὴν ἄναρχον καὶ ἀμάρτυρον γέννησιν ἐκήρυξεν καὶ τὴν συναΐδιον ὕπαρξιν. Καὶ ἐμφραττέσθω τῶν φιλολοιδόρων τὰ στόματα, ὅτι μόνος ἐκ μόνου ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἀμάρτυρος ἡ ἄνω γέννησις. Χρόνος μὲν γὰρ οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι πάντων τῶν αἰώνων δημιουργός. Ἄγγελος οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν «ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον.» Οὐρανὸς οὐ παρῆν· «Τῷ γὰρ Λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν.» Ἥλιος οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὑπάρχει «ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος». Σελήνη οὐ παρῆν· «Σελήνην γὰρ καὶ ἀστέρας αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν.» Γῆ οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν· «Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά.» Ἀμάρτυρος οὖν ἡ ἄνω γέννησις, θεία καὶ ἀπερινόητος, ἐπειδὴ μόνος οἶδεν ὁ Πατὴρ πῶς ἐγέννησεν, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς πῶς ἐγεννήθη. Ὁ τοίνυν Ἰωάννης μόνος τὴν ἄναρχον γέννησιν καὶ τὴν συναΐδιον ὕπαρξιν ἐκήρυξεν.

7 Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Λουκᾶς, ὁ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν ἐξαίρετος καὶ τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ τούτου λίθου καὶ τιμίου μαργαρίτου ἔμπορος, ὁ ἄγρυπνος τῆς πόλεως φύλαξ, ὁ ἔμπειρος τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρός, τὸ ἀπόρθητον τῶν βασιλέων τεῖχος, ὅλον ὁμοῦ διηγήσατο τὸ μυ-στήριον, τοῦ Γαβριὴλ τὰ εὐαγγέλια, τῆς παρθένου τὴν εὐλάβειαν, τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐπιφοίτησιν, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μορφήν, τὴν ἀπαθῆ κένωσιν τῆς θεότητος, τὸ ἄτρεπτον τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καὶ ἀσύγχυτον, τῆς παρθενίας τὸ ἄσυλον, τῆς συλλήψεως τὸ αὐτοσχέδιον, τοῦ τόκου τὸ ἄφθορον, τὸν τοῦ ἀγγέλου εὐαγγελισμὸν πρὸς τὴν παρθένον εἰπόντος· «Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.»

8 Ὢ ἀσπασμὸς οὐδενὶ ἄλλῳ ἁρμόσας, εἰ μὴ μόνῃ τῇ ἁγίᾳ παρθένῳ. Ἔτεκεν Εὔα ἀλλ' ἐν λύπαις, ἔτεκε Σάρρα ἀλλ' ἐν πόνῳ, ἔτεκε Ῥεβέκκα ἀλλ' ἐν στεναγμοῖς, ἔτεκεν Ἅννα ἀλλ' ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἔτεκεν Ἐλισάβετ ἀλλ' ἐν φθορᾷ, πᾶσαι ἐν λύπαις ἔτεκον ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαι μετὰ φθορᾶς συνέλαβον. Σὺ δὲ μόνη χαῖρε, ἡ πύλη τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μυστηρίου νεφέλη. Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε, ὁ ἀστενοχώρητος τοῦ ἀπεριγράπτου ναός. Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε· ὁ γὰρ ἐκ σοῦ σαρκούμενος «ἀφεῖλε πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου». Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε, ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οὐρανός, ἡ κόρη καὶ νεφέλη, ἡ παρθένος καὶ θρόνος· ὡς γὰρ μήτηρ ἔτεκες τὸν ἐκ σοῦ καὶ πρὸ σοῦ καὶ μετὰ σοῦ, ὡς δὲ παρθένος συνέλαβες Λόγον καὶ ὤδινες μυστήριον, ὡς θρόνος ἐν γαστρὶ ἐβάστασας ὃν κατ' οὐσίαν οὐ περιγράφει τις.

9 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ προφήτης Ἠσαΐας τὸ παρθενικὸν ἐκπληττόμενος μυστήριον ἐβόα· «Φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἐκ πόλεως, φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἐκ ναοῦ» ἠκούσθη. Τί δὲ λέγεις, ὦ προφῆτα; Ἀσφαλὲς τὸ αἴνιγμα καὶ βαθὺ τὸ νόημα. «Φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἐκ πόλεως, φωνὴ