John Chrysostom, On the Annunciation of God-bearer

praying: how the Creator embraced His own creation; how He Who loves mankind, remaining God, became also man; how the Sun of Righteousness, having lit within Himself the lamp of the body, went about everywhere seeking the lost coin; how the good Shepherd, having covered His own divinity with the fleece of a sheep, ran about, calling to Himself the straying sheep, and saying to each, I am the good Shepherd. It is necessary for us to speak also the voice of the holy Gospels proclaimed today in the Churches: In the sixth month the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house and lineage of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in to her and said: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. In the sixth month, when Zacharias had already been condemned to speechlessness for his unbelief, when Elizabeth had already brought forth the unexpected branch, when John the Baptist had already been for a period of six months in the prison of the womb, when the forerunner had already been prepared in the place of barrenness, when the lamp was already shining in the dark places of the belly, the angel Gabriel was sent by the Sun of Righteousness. Go, He says, to the city of Galilee, Nazareth, to the virgin Mary betrothed to the carpenter Joseph; for I, the carpenter of all creation, have betrothed this virgin for the salvation of men. Announce to her my untroubled presence with her, so that the virgin, receiving me without foreknowledge, might not be disturbed; teach her beforehand of my love for mankind, through which I wish to come forth from her into the world as a man, so that, learning beforehand what is being orchestrated, she may not be astounded at what is being accomplished; proclaim the economy, so that she may not be troubled upon seeing the swelling of her belly suddenly rising. Now complete the journey with speed; for you will find me there where I now send you; there I precede you, while remaining here. I enter in to her both before you and after you; you bring the good news of my arrival, and I, having arrived invisibly, will seal your voice with deeds. For I wish to renew the race of men in the virginal womb; I wish with condescension to remold the image which I formed; I wish with a new creation to heal the ancient formation. From virgin earth I formed the first-formed man; but the devil took him and dragged him about as an enemy and cast him down, and mocked my image when it had fallen.

I now wish to fashion for myself a new Adam from the virgin earth, so that nature may make a fair defense for itself, and be lawfully crowned against the one who cast it down, and the enemy be rightly put to shame. O immeasurable sea of condescension! O infinite height of divine love for mankind! the king did not send many angels, or many forerunners; the creator did not move the armies of the bodiless powers, but commanded only one angel to become the herald of His presence, so that through the teaching of the one He might secure beforehand the mother who was to receive Him. So the angel came to the virgin Mary, and entering in to her said: Hail, full of grace. He addressed his fellow servant as mistress, as one who had already become the mother of the Master. Hail, full of grace. Your foremother Eve, having transgressed the law, received the sentence to bear children in sorrows; but to you the address of "hail" is fitting; she bore Cain, giving birth to envy and murder; but you will bear 62.766 a son providing life and incorruption to all. Hail, therefore, and dance; hail and tread upon the head of the serpent; Hail, full of grace. For the curse has ceased, corruption is abolished, the gloomy things have withered, the bright things flourish, the long-ago is present with

δεόμενος· πῶς ὁ ποιητὴς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ποίημα περιέσφιγξε· πῶς μείνας Θεὸς ἐγένετο καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὁ φιλάνθρωπος· πῶς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιος ἀνάψας ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν λύχνον τοῦ σώματος, περιῄει πανταχοῦ ζητῶν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην δραχμήν· πῶς ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τῇ δορᾷ τοῦ προβάτου τὴν οἰκείαν καλύψας θεότητα περιέτρεχε, καλῶν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὰ πλανώμενα πρόβατα, καὶ λέγων πρὸς ἕκαστον, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ἡμᾶς εἰπεῖν καὶ τὴν σήμερον ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις κηρυχθεῖσαν τῶν ἁγίων Εὐαγγελίων φωνήν· Τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ᾗ ὄνομα Ναζαρὲτ, πρὸς παρθένον μεμνηστευμένην ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰωσὴφ, ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αυΐδ· καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς παρθένου Μαριάμ. Καὶ εἰσελθὼν ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπε· Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ· εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί. Τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ, ἤδη τοῦ Ζαχαρίου διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν τῇ ἀφωνίᾳ κατακριθέντος, ἤδη τῆς Ἐλισάβετ βλαστησάσης τὸν ἀπροσδόκητον κλάδον, ἤδη τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου χρόνον ἑξαμηνιαῖον ἔχοντος ἐν τῷ τῆς κοιλίας δεσμωτηρίῳ, ἤδη τοῦ προδρόμου προευτρεπισθέντος ἐν τοῖς τῆς στειρώσεως τόποις, ἤδη τοῦ λύχνου λάμποντος ἐν τοῖς σκοτεινοῖς τόποις τῆς γαστρὸς, ἀπεστάλη ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριήλ. Ἄπελθε, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας τὴν Ναζαρὲτ, πρὸς τὴν παρθένον Μαριὰμ τὴν μεμνηστευμένην τῷ τέκτονι Ἰωσήφ· ἐγὼ γὰρ, ὁ τέκτων τῆς ὅλης κτίσεως, τὴν παρθένον ταύτην ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεμνήστευμαι. Προμήνυσον αὐτῇ τὴν ἐμὴν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀτάραχον παρουσίαν, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς προγνώσεως ὑποδεξαμένη με ἡ παρθένος θορυβηθῇ· προδίδαξον αὐτὴν τὴν ἐμὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, δι' ἢν ἐξ αὐτῆς βούλομαι προελθεῖν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα προμαθοῦσα τὸ οἰκονομούμενον, εἰς τὸ τελούμενον μὴ θαμβηθῇ· προκήρυξον τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἵνα μὴ θεασαμένη τῆς γαστρὸς αὐτῆς τὸν ὄγκον ἐξαίφνης ὑψούμενον ταραχθῇ. Ἤδη τῷ δρόμῳ τὴν πορείαν ἐξάνυσον· ἐκεῖ γάρ με εὑρήσεις ὅπου πέμπω σε νῦν· ἐκεῖ σε προφθάνω μένων ἐνταῦθα. Ἐγὼ καὶ πρὸ σοῦ καὶ μετὰ σὲ εἰσέρχομαι πρὸς αὐτήν· σὺ κόμισον τὰ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀφίξεως εὐαγγέλια, κἀγὼ παραγενόμενος ἀοράτως, τοῖς ἔργοις τὴν σὴν σφραγίσω φωνήν. Θέλω γὰρ ἐν τῇ παρθενικῇ νηδύϊ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνανεῶσαι τὸ γένος· θέλω συγκαταβατικῶς ἀναχωνεῦσαι, ἢν ἔπλασα εἰκόνα· θέλω καινῇ πλάσει θεραπεῦσαι τὴν ἀρχαίαν διάπλασιν. Ἐκ παρθένου γῆς ἔπλασα τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ἄνθρωπον· ἐκεῖνον δὲ λαβὼν ὁ διάβολος ὡς ἐχθρὸν περιέσυρε καὶ κατέβαλε, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς εἰκόνος πεσούσης κατέπαιξε.

Βούλομαι νῦν ἐγὼ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου γῆς ἐμαυτῷ περιπῆξαι νέον Ἀδὰμ, ἵνα καὶ ἡ φύσις ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς εὐπροσώπως ἀπολογήσηται, καὶ νομίμως στεφανωθῇ κατὰ τοῦ καταβάλλοντος αὐτὴν, καὶ ὁ πολέμιος εὐλόγως καταισχυνθῇ. Ὢ συγκαταβάσεως ἀμέτρητον πέλαγος! ὢ θείας φιλανθρωπίας ἄπειρον ὕψος· οὐκ ἀπέστειλε πολλοὺς ἀγγέλους, ἢ προδρόμους πολλοὺς ὁ βασιλεύς· οὐκ ἐκίνησεν ὁ δημιουργὸς τὰ στρατόπεδα τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων, ἀλλ' ἕνα μόνον ἄγγελον, προάγγελον γενέσθαι τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας ἐκέλευσεν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἑνὸς διδασκαλίας προασφαλίσηται τὴν μέλλουσαν αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι μητέρα. Παρεγένετο τοίνυν πρὸς τὴν παρθένον Μαριὰμ ὁ ἄγγελος, καὶ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπε· Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη. Προσηγόρευσε τὴν σύνδουλον ὡς δέσποιναν, ὡς ἤδη γεγενημένην τοῦ ∆εσπότου μητέρα. Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη. Ἡ σὴ πρόγονος Εὔα παραβᾶσα τὸν νόμον, ἀπόφασιν ἔλαβεν ἐν λύπαις τέξειν τέκνα· σοὶ δὲ πρέπει τοῦ χαίρειν ἡ πρόσρησις· ἐκείνη τὸν Κάϊν ἔτεκε, φθόνον καὶ φόνον γεννήσασα· σὺ δὲ γεννήσεις 62.766 υἱὸν ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν παρέχοντα πᾶσι. Χαῖρε τοίνυν καὶ χόρευε· χαῖρε καὶ καταπάτει τὴν τοῦ ὄφεως κεφαλήν· Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη. Πέπαυται γὰρ ἡ κατάρα, κατήργηται ἡ φθορὰ, μεμάρανται τὰ στυγνὰ, ἀνθεῖ τὰ φαιδρὰ, πάρεστι τὸ πάλαι παρὰ