John Chrysostom, On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin

the brother of the Lord; not as from the virgin Mary, but as born from Joseph. Therefore, since the priests betrothed Mary to Joseph as to a temperate man, and entrusted her to him, awaiting the time of marriage; he, on receiving her, was to keep the virgin in incorruption. This the prophet proclaimed from afar; The sealed book, he says, will be given to a man who knows letters, that is, to one who has known marriage, and he will say: I cannot read it. Why can you not, O Joseph? I cannot, he says, read it; for the book is sealed. Kept for whom? Guarded as a dwelling place for the creator of all things. But let us return to the subject at hand. In the sixth month Gabriel was sent 50.794 to a virgin; having doubtless received such commands: Come, he said, O angel, be a minister of a fearful mystery; serve a hidden wonder, I am moved by my compassions to descend in search of the lost Adam. Sin has made old the one fashioned in my image, has corrupted the work of my hands, has dimmed the beauty which I fashioned; the wolf is devouring my flock; the dwelling place of paradise is desolate. The tree of life is guarded by the flaming sword, and the place of delight is closed. I pity the one warred against, and I wish to apprehend the enemy. I wish to conceal this from all the powers in heaven, to you alone I entrust the mystery; go to the virgin Mary, go to the living gate, about which the prophet spoke: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Go to my rational paradise; go to the eastern city; go to the dwelling place worthy of me, the Word; go to the second heaven on earth; go to the light cloud; announce to her the rain of my coming; go to the sanctuary prepared for me; go to the bridal chamber of my incarnation; go to the pure bridal chamber of my birth in the flesh; speak into the ears of the rational ark, prepare for me the entrances of hearing; but do not startle, do not trouble the soul of the virgin; appear gently to the holy one; first cry out to her a voice of joy; you say to Mary, Hail, full of grace, so that I may have mercy on Eve who has been afflicted. The angel heard these things, and, as was likely, reasoned within himself: A strange matter, what is spoken surpasses understanding; he who is fearsome to the cherubim, who is unseen by the seraphim, who is incomprehensible to all the angelic powers, what a great encounter he promises! He announces a personal presence to a maiden, or rather, he promises her an entrance through hearing! And he who condemned Eve, is so eager to glorify her daughter, and says. Prepare for me the entrances of hearing! And can a womb contain the uncontainable? Truly the mystery is fearful. While the angel was considering such things, the Lord said to him: Why are you troubled and astonished, O Gabriel? Were you not sent by me before to Zacharias the priest? Did you not give him the good news of the birth of John? Did you not bring the penalty of silence upon the unbelieving priest? Did you not condemn the old man to speechlessness? Did not you declare it, and I confirmed it? Did not the deed follow your good news? Did not the barren one conceive? Did not the womb become kindled? Did not the sickness of barrenness depart? Did not the idleness of nature flee? Is not she who was formerly unfruitful now bearing ears of grain?

Is any word impossible with me, the creator? How then were you clothed in doubt? What then again the angel? Lord, to heal the failings of nature, to dissolve the winter of passions, to recall the deadness of limbs to vital power, to command nature to the work of childbearing, to loose barrenness in aged limbs, to transform an aged stalk to a verdant form, to suddenly show a barren field to be a mother of sheaves,

τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου· οὐχ ὡς ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ γεννηθέντα. Ἐπεὶ οὖνοἱ ἱερεῖς ὡς σώφρονι τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἡρμόσαντο τὴν Μαρίαν, καὶ παρέθεντο αὐτὴν αὐτῷ, γάμου καιρὸν ἀναμένοντες· ἔμελλε δὲ οὗτος λαμβάνων τηρεῖν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ τὴν παρθένον. Τοῦτο πόῤῥωθεν ὁ προφήτης προανεφώνησε· ∆οθήσεται, φησὶ, τὸ βιβλίον τὸ ἐσφραγισμένον ἀνδρὶ εἰδότι γράμματα, τουτέστι, γάμοις προσομιλήσαντι, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι. ∆ιὰ τί οὐ δύνασαι, ὦ Ἰωσήφ; Οὐ δύναμαι, φησὶν, ἀναγνῶναι· τὸ γὰρ βιβλίον ἐσφράγισται. Τίνι τηρούμενον; Τῷ δημιουργῷ τῶν ὅλων κατοικητήριον φυλαττόμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ 50.794 πρὸς παρθένον· πάντως που τοιαύτας ἐντολὰς δεξάμενος· ∆εῦρο, φησὶν, ὦ ἄγγελε, ὑπουργὸς γενοῦ φοβεροῦ μυστηρίου· ἀποκεκρυμμένῳ διακόνησον θαύματι, εἰς ἀναζήτησιν τοῦ πλανηθέντος Ἀδὰμ κατελθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐμῶν οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπείγομαι. Ἁμαρτία τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα τὴν ἐμὴν πλασθέντα ἐπαλαίωσε, τὸ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν ἐσάθρωσε δημιούργημα, ἠμαύρωσεν ὅπερ ἔπλασα κάλλος· ὁ λύκος τὸ ἐμὸν θρέμμα κατανέμεται· ἔρημόν ἐστι τοῦ παραδείσου τὸ οἰκητήριον. Τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ὑπὸ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομφαίας φυλάττεται, καὶ κέκλεισται τῆς τρυφῆς τὸ χωρίον. Ἐλεῶ τὸν πολεμηθέντα, καὶ συλλαβέσθαι τὸν πολέμιον βούλομαι. Λαθεῖν θέλω πάσας τὰς ἐν οὐρανῷ δυνάμεις, σοὶ μόνῳ θαῤῥῶ τὸ μυστήριον· πρὸς τὴν παρθένον Μαρίαν πορεύθητι, ἄπελθε πρὸς τὴν ἔμψυχον πύλην, περὶ ἧς ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε· ∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, πόλις Θεοῦ.

Ἄπελθε πρὸς τὸν λογικόν μου παράδεισον· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολικὴν πόλιν· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὸ ἄξιον ἐμοῦ τοῦ Λόγου κατοικητήριον· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὸν δεύτερον ἐπὶ γῆς οὐρανόν· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὴν κούφην νεφέλην· μήνυσον αὐτῇ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας τὸν ὄμβρον· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὸ ἐμοὶ ἡτοιμασμένον ἁγίασμα· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὴν παστάδα τῆς ἐμῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως· ἄπελθε πρὸς τὸν καθαρὸν νυμφῶνα τῆς κατὰ σάρκα μου γεννήσεως· λάλησον εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῆς λογικῆς κιβωτοῦ, ἑτοίμασαί μοι τῆς ἀκοῆς τὰς εἰσόδους· ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβήσῃς, μὴ ταράξῃς τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς παρθένου· ἐπιεικῶς τῷ ἁγιάσματι φάνηθι· πρώτην αὐτῇ φωνὴν χαρᾶς ἀναβόησον· σὺ εἰπὲ τῇ Μαριὰμ, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἵνα ἐλεήσω ἐγὼ Εὔαν τὴν κεκακωμένην. Ἤκουσεν ὁ ἄγγελος ταῦτα, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἐλογίζετο· Ξένον τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὑπερβαῖνον ἔννοιαν τὸ λαλούμενον· ὁ τοῖς χερουβὶμ φοβερὸς, ὁ τοῖς σεραφεὶμ ἀθεώρητος, ὁ πάσαις ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀκατανόητος, ἡλίκην συντυχίαν ἐπαγγέλλεται! Κόρῃ αὐτοπρόσωπον παρουσίαν μηνύει, μᾶλλον δὲ εἴσοδον δι' ἀκοῆς ὑπισχνεῖται αὐτῇ! καὶ ὁ τὴν Εὔαν καταδικάσας, τὴν αὐτῆς θυγατέρα δοξάζειν τοσοῦτον ἐπείγεται, καὶ λέγει. Ἑτοίμασαί μοι τῆς ἀκοῆς τὰς εἰσόδους! καὶ δύναται γαστὴρ χωρεῖν τὸν ἀχώρητον; Ὄντως φοβερὸν τὸ μυστήριον. Τοιαῦτα τοῦ ἀγγέλλου ἐνθυμουμένου, ὁ ∆εσπότης φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί ταράττῃ καὶ ξενίζῃ. ὦ Γαβριήλ; οὐ πρώην ἀπεστάλης ἀπ' ἐμοῦ πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν τὸν ἱερέα; οὐκ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ τῆς γεννήσεως Ἰωάννου τὰ εὐαγγέλια; οὐκ ἀπιστοῦντι τῷ ἱερεῖ τὸ τῆς σιωπῆς ἐπήγαγες πρόστιμον; οὐ κατεδίκασας τὸν πρεσβύτην τῇ ἀφωνίᾳ; οὐχὶ σὺ ἀπεφήνω, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐκύρωσα; οὐ τῷ εὐαγγελισμῷ σου τὸ ἔργον ἐπηκολούθησεν; οὐ συνέλαβεν ἡ στείρα; οὐχ ὑπέκαυσεν ἡ μήτρα; οὐκ ἀνεχώρησε τῆς ἀκαρπίας ἡ νόσος; οὐκ ἔφυγεν ἡ ἀργία τῆς φύσεως; οὐ νῦν ἐστι σταχυοφοροῦσα ἡ πρώην μὴ καρποφοροῦσα;

Μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρ' ἐμοὶ τῷ κτίσαντι πᾶν ῥῆμα; πῶς οὖν ἀμφιβολίᾳ περιεβλήθης; Τί οὖν πάλιν ὁ ἄγγελος; ∆έσποτα, τὸ θεραπεῦσαι τὰ τῆς φύσεως σφάλματα, τὸ διαλῦσαι τῶν παθῶν τὸν χειμῶνα, τὸ νέκρωσιν μελῶν πρὸς ζωτικὴν ἀνακαλέσασθαι δύναμιν, τὸ ἐπιτάξαι τῇ φύσει παιδοποιίας ἐνέργειαν, τὸ λῦσαι στείρωσιν ἐν ὑπερορίοις τοῖς μέλεσι, τὸ γεγηρακυῖαν καλάμην μετασχηματίσαι πρὸς χλοηφόρον σχῆμα, τὸ τὴν ἄγονον ἄρουραν δραγμάτων ἐξαίφνης ἀναδεῖξαι μητέρα,