John Chrysostom, On Christmas Day

he ran down, and greets the maiden; he is not clothed with a body, and he stands beside a woman, as if walking on the earth with wings for feet. What does he seek from her who is of earth? He appears to me an angel, and he speaks like a man; a voice is put forth to me from holy, bodiless beings; his face is made more beautiful than a luminous star; he is clothed in a tunic; I see a youth not invested with flesh, treading the ground, and not painting 61.738 a footprint; not possessing a tongue, yet crying out "Hail" to me; his lips not moving, yet prophesying "rejoice" to me. I do not know what I should think of this dreadful vision. If I do not understand the one sent, how shall I know the one who sent him? If the messenger is fearful, the one announced is more fearful; if he, so flashing, has darkened my mind, with what body shall I hide the sun of righteousness? If the creature startles me, how shall I bear the Creator? If I am terrified by the servant, how shall I give birth to the Lord? And the angel said to her: Do not be afraid, Mary.

You are not tripped up like Eve; from her came death, but from you immortal life; from her the fruit of death, but from you the life-giving fruit; from her deceit, but from you love; from her the separation of God from men, but from you the ineffable union of God and flesh; from her the dark sleep of hades, from you the bright lamp of the world; from her a curse, but from you a blessing; from her the condemnation, but from you the forgiveness; from her affliction, but from you faith; from her tears, but from you rivers of living water; from her sweat, but from you rest; from her the ancient wound, but from you the life of the Trinity; from her hatred of brothers, but from you love for mankind; from her the flood, but from you the bath of immortality; from her murderers, but from you regeneration; from her the slaughters of the living, but from you the rising of the dead; from her the hateful twelve tribes, but from you the twelve apostles united in love; from her death running through the world, but stumbling upon you it will fall; from her the fall, but from you the resurrection. Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb him who is in the Father and in the flesh; and you will bear a son more ancient than Adam, you will bear a son older than me, you will bear a son higher than heaven, you will bear a son superior to the Cherubim, you will bear a son, the creator of the ages, you will bear a son co-eternal with the Father, you will bear a son co-eternal with the Spirit, you will bear a son to whom all things belong, you will bear a son whom we do not behold, you will bear a son whose form escapes me, you will bear a son before whom I stand in terror. And the days were fulfilled for her to give birth, and she bore her firstborn son, whom no man had planted; she bore her son, whom no father had begotten; she bore the ear of corn, which no body had sown; she bore the creator who became man; she bore him in a cave, and in Persia he appeared. For when Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, behold, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying.

Where is the one born king of the Jews? Where is the one who was not sown and was born? he who sent his star before himself? where is he who by a strange ray draws us to an unknown light? where is he who with an immeasurable palm walls the world? where is he who appears everywhere, and is hidden in the flesh? where is he who freed us from error, and guides us to grace? where is he who appeared under the oak as a triad of angels? where is he who did not burn the bush, and did not corrupt his mother? where is he who from the Father is not seen, and is held by his mother? where is he who dried up the red sea, and is given milk to drink? where is he who struck Pharaoh, and is hidden from Herod? where is he who submerged the dragon, and lies in swaddling clothes? where is he whom the archangels did not see, and whom men behold? And behold the star, which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was; and having worshiped, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned not to return to Herod, by another

κατέδραμε, καὶ κόρην ἀσπάζεται· οὐ περιβέβληται σῶμα, καὶ γυναικὶ παρίσταται, ὡς ποσὶ ταῖς πτέρυξι περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τί ζητεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ γῆς; ἄγγελός μοι φαίνεται, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος φθέγγεται· ἐξ ἀσωμάτων ἁγίων φωνή μοι προβάλλεται· φωστῆρος φωτεινότερον κεκαλλώπισται πρόσωπον· χιτῶνα προβέβληται· νεανίσκον ὁρῶ σάρκα μὴ περικείμενον, πατοῦντα τὸ ἔδαφος, καὶ ἴχνος μὴ ζω 61.738 γραφοῦντα· γλῶσσαν μὴ κεκτημένον, καὶ τὸ Χαῖρέ μοι κεκραγότα· χείλη μὴ σαλεύοντα, καὶ χαίρειν μοι προφητεύοντα. Οὐκ οἶδα τί λογίσωμαι τὴν ἔμφρικτον ὀπτασίαν. Εἰ τὸν πεμφθέντα οὐ νοῶ, πῶς γνώσομαι τὸν πέμψαντα; εἰ ὁ μηνύων φοβερὸς, ὁ μηνυθεὶς φοβερώτερος· εἰ οὕτως ἀπαστράπτων ἐμαύρωσέ μου τὸν νοῦν, ποίῳ σώματι κρύψω δικαιοσύνης τὸν ἥλιον; εἰ τὸ κτίσμα θροεῖ με, πῶς ἐνέγκω τὸν κτίσαντα; εἰ τὸν δοῦλον ἐπτόημαι, τὸν ∆εσπότην πῶς τέξομαι; Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ.

Οὐ σκελίζῃ ὥσπερ ἡ Εὔα· ἐξ ἐκείνης ὁ θάνατος, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ζωὴ ἀθάνατος· ἐξ ἐκείνης καρπὸς νεκρώσεως, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ καρπὸς ζωοποιός· ἐξ ἐκείνης ἀπάτη, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἀγάπη· ἐξ ἐκείνης τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρισμὸς, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ σαρκὸς συμπλοκὴ ἀνερμήνευτος· ἐξ ἐκείνης ὁ σκοτεινὸς ὕπνος τοῦ ᾅδου, ἐκ σοῦ φωτεινὸς λύχνος τοῦ κόσμου· ἐξ ἐκείνης κατάρα, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ εὐλογία· ἐξ ἐκείνης ἡ ἀπόφασις, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἡ συγχώρησις· ἐξ ἐκείνης ἡ θλῖψις, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἡ πίστις· ἐξ ἐκείνης τὰ δάκρυα, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ποταμοὶ ὕδατος ζῶντος· ἐξ ἐκείνης οἱ ἱδρῶτες, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις· ἐξ ἐκείνης ἡ ἀρχαία πληγὴ, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ Τριάδος ζωή· ἐξ ἐκείνης μισαδελφία, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ φιλανθρωπία· ἐξ ἐκείνης κατακλυσμὸς, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ λουτρὸν ἀθανασίας· ἐξ ἐκείνης οἱ φονεῖς, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἀναγέννησις· ἐξ ἐκείνης ζώντων σφαγαὶ, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἡ νεκρῶν ἔγερσις· ἐξ ἐκείνης δωδεκάφυλον μισητὸν, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ δώδεκα ἀπόστολοι ἀγάπῃ συνηνωμένοι· ἐξ ἐκείνης ὁ θάνατος τὸν κόσμον διατρέχων, εἰς σὲ δὲ προσκόψας πεσεῖται· ἐξ ἐκείνης τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκ δὲ σοῦ ἡ ἀνάστασις. Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ τὸν ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ ἐν σαρκί· καὶ τέξῃ υἱὸν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀρχαιότερον, τέξῃ υἱὸν ἐμοῦ παλαιότερον, τέξῃ υἱὸν οὐρανοῦ ὑψηλότερον, τέξῃ υἱὸν τῶν Χερουβὶμ ἀνώτερον, τέξῃ υἱὸν τῶν αἰώνων δημιουργὸν, τέξῃ υἱὸν συνάναρχον τῷ Πατρὶ, τέξῃ υἱὸν συναΐδιον τῷ Πνεύματι, τέξῃ υἱὸν, οὗ τὰ πάντα ὑπάρχει, τέξῃ υἱὸν, ὃν ἡμεῖς μὴ καθορῶμεν, τέξῃ υἱὸν, οὗ ἡ μορφὴ λανθάνει με, τέξῃ υἱὸν ᾧ παρίσταμαι ἔντρομος. Καὶ ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, ὃν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ἀνήρ· ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς, ὃν οὐκ ἐβάστασε πατήρ· ἔτεκε τὸν στάχυν, ὃν οὐκ ἔσπειρε σῶμα· ἔτεκε δημιουργὸν γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον· ἔτεκεν ἐν σπηλαίῳ, καὶ ἐν Περσίδι ἐφάνη. Τοῦ γὰρ Χριστοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἰδοὺ, μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα λέγοντες.

Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ μὴ σπαρεὶς καὶ τεχθείς; ὁ πρὸ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀποστείλας ἀστέρα; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ διὰ ξένης ἀκτῖνος ἕλκων ἡμᾶς πρὸς φῶς ἀγνοούμενον; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ἀμετρήτῳ παλάμῃ τειχίζων τὴν οἰκουμένην; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ πανταχοῦ φαινόμενος, καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ κρυπτόμενος; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ λύσας ἡμᾶς τῆς πλάνης, καὶ ὁδηγῶν πρὸς τὴν χάριν; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ φανεὶς ὑπὸ τὴν δρῦν εἰς τριάδα ἀγγέλων; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τὴν βάτον μὴ φλέξας, καὶ τὴν μητέρα μὴ φθείρας; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ Πατρὸς, μὴ ὁρώμενος, καὶ μητρὸς κατεχόμενος; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ξηράνας τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν, καὶ γάλα ποτιζόμενος; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ πατάξας τὸν Φαραὼ, καὶ Ἡρώδην κρυπτόμενος; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τὸν δράκοντα δύσας, καὶ ἐν σπαργάνοις κείμενος; ποῦ ἐστιν ὃν οὐκ εἶδον ἀρχάγγελοι, καὶ θεωροῦσιν ἄνθρωποι; Καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἀστὴρ, ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ, προῆγεν αὐτοὺς, ἕως ἐλθὼν ἔστη ἐπάνω, οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον· καὶ προσκυνήσαντες, προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δῶρα, χρυσὸν καὶ λίβανον καὶ σμύρναν. Καὶ χρηματισθέντες μὴ ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ἡρώδην, δι' ἄλλης