all those who believe in him. Hail, full of grace, the rising of the intelligible sun [alt. the rising of the sun of righteousness], and the undefiled flower of life. Hail, full of grace, the meadow of fragrance. Hail, full of grace, the ever-flourishing vine, who gladdens the souls of those who glorify you. Hail, full of grace, the uncultivated, fruit-bearing field. According to nature, because of what is common to us, and because of the time of her discipline [conception]; but contrary to nature, or rather, above nature, because of the God Logos who came to dwell from on high, and in your holy womb re-formed Adam, and the Holy Spirit provided the fertility to the holy Virgin; and the reality of the body was assumed from her body. And just as the pearl from two natures, from lightning and water, comes forth from the unseen regions of the sea; so also our Lord Jesus Christ, without confusion and without change, comes forth from the pure and chaste, and undefiled, and holy Virgin Mary, perfect in divinity, and perfect in humanity, in all things like the Father, and consubstantial with us in all things, without sin. Many of the holy Fathers, and patriarchs, and prophets, desired to see, and to become eyewitnesses. and they did not. And some of them, through visions saw him typically in enigmas [alt. in an enigma]; others in a pillar of cloud became hearers of a divine voice, and encountered visions of holy angels; but to Mary the Virgin alone, the holy one, Gabriel the archangel [alt. the angel] luminously appeared, announcing to her the, "Hail, full of grace"; and thus she received the Word, and at the time of her bodily fulfillment, brought forth the most precious pearl. Come, therefore, you also, O beloved, let us sing the melodies shown to us from the divinely-inspired harp of David, saying: Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy sanctuary. For the holy Virgin is truly the ark, gilded within and without, who received the whole treasure of the sanctu 10.1153 ary. Arise, O Lord, into thy rest. Arise, O Lord, from the bosom of the Father, that thou mayest raise up the fallen race of the first-formed man.

David, interceding for these things, prophesying about that fruit-bearing flower, the rod that was to sprout from him, said: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty: for he is the Lord thy God, and thou shalt worship [alt. they shall worship] him. Hear, O daughter, the things formerly prophesied to you [alt. concerning you]; that with the eyes of knowledge you may behold the events. Hear me foretelling to you, and the archangel clearly announcing to you the perfect mysteries for you. Come therefore, beloved, let us too, running back to the memory of those who came before, glorify, sing hymns to, bless, and praise the rod of Jesse that so supernaturally sprouted. For not only of [alt. only] Joseph, but also of the Theotokos Mary, Luke, testifying beforehand [alt. testifying additionally], in the divine Gospels, relates her kinship to David: For Joseph went up, it says, from Galilee to a city of Judea, which is called Bethlehem, to be registered with Mary his espoused wife, being with child, because they were of the house and lineage of David. And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her son, the firstborn of all creation; and she swaddled him, and laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. She swaddled him who is clothed in light as in a garment. She swaddled him who created all creation. She laid in a manger him who is seated above the cherubim, and is praised in song by myriads of angels. In the manger of irrational beasts rested the Word of God, that to truly irrational human beings [corr. humans], according to

πάντας τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, τοῦ νοητοῦ ἡλίου ἡ ἀνατολὴ [ἄλ. ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡ ἀνατολὴ], καὶ τὸ τῆς ζωῆς ἀμίαντον ἄνθος. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ λει μὼν τῆς εὐωδίας. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀειθαλὴς, ἡ εὐφραίνουσα τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν σὲ δοξαζόν των. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἡ ἀγεώργητος καλλίκαρ πος ἄρουρα. Κατὰ φύσιν μὲν, διὰ τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον τῆς ἀσκήσεως [κυήσεως]· παρὰ φύσιν δὲ, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὲρ φύσιν, διὰ τὸν ἄνωθεν ἐνδημήσαντα Θεὸν Λόγον, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ σου γαστρὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀναπλάσαντα, καὶ τὸ μὲν γόνιμον, τῇ ἁγίᾳ Παρθένῳ παρέσχεν τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια τοῦ σώμα τος προσελήφθη ἐκ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῆς. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ μαργαρίτης ἐκ τῶν δύο φύσεων, ἐξ ἀστραπῆς καὶ ὕδατος, ἐκ τῶν ἀδήλων σημείων τῆς θαλάσσης προέρ χεται· οὕτως καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀσυγχύτως καὶ ἀτρέπτως, ἐκ τῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ ἁγνῆς, καὶ ἀμιάντου, καὶ ἁγίας Παρθένου Μαρίας προέρχεται, ἐν θεότητι τέλειος, καὶ ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι τέλειος, κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιος τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁμοούσιος ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. Πλεῖστοι τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων, καὶ πατριαρχῶν, καὶ προφητῶν, ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν, καὶ αὐτόπται γενέσθαι. καὶ οὐ γεγόνασιν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν, διὰ ὁράσεις αὐτὸν τυπικῶς ἐν αἰνίγμασιν [ἄλ. ἐν αἰνίγματι] ἐθεάσαντο· οἱ δὲ ἐν στόλῳ νεφέλης θείας φωνῆς ἐν ἀκροάσει γεγόνασιν, καὶ ἁγίων ἀγγέλων συνέτυχον ὀπτασίαις· πρὸς Μαριὰμ δὲ Παρθένον μόνην τὴν ἁγίαν, Γαβριὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος [ἄλ. ὁ ἄγγελος] φωτι στικῶς παρεγένετο, τὸ, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, αὐτῇ εὐαγγελιζόμενος· καὶ οὕτως τὸν Λόγον ἐδέξατο, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς σωματικῆς συμπληρώσεως, τὸν πο λύτιμον μαργαρίτην προήνεγκεν. ∆εῦτε τοίνυν καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὦ ἀγαπητοὶ, τὰ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ θεοπνεύστου κιθάρας, ἠμῖν δεδειγμένα μελῳδήσωμεν, λέγοντες· Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου· σὺ, καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ ἁγιάσματός σου. Κιβωτὸς γὰρ ἀληθῶς, ἡ ἁγία Παρθένος, ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν κεχρυ σωμένη, ἡ ὅλον τὸν θησαυρὸν δεξαμένη τοῦ ἁγιάσμα 10.1153 τος. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἵνα ἐξαναστήσῃς τὸ πεπτωκὸς γένος τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου.

Ταῦτα πρεσβεύων ὁ ∆αβὶδ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ μέλλου σαν βλαστάνειν ῥάβδον τὸ καλλίκαρπον ἐκεῖνο ἄνθος, προφητεύων ἔλεγεν· Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἐπιλάθου τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Πατρός σου· καὶ ἐπιθυ μήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου· ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, καὶ προσκυνήσεις [ἄλ. προσκυνήσουσιν] αὐτῷ. Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ, τὰ πρώην εἰς σὲ [ἄλ. περὶ σοῦ] προφητευόμενα· ἵνα καὶ τοῖς γνώσεως ὀφθαλμοῖς θεωρήσῃς τὰ πράγματα. Ἄκου σον ἐμοῦ σοι προμηνύοντος, καὶ τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου σοι τὰ ἐντελῆ σοι μυστήρια διαῤῥήδην ἀναγγέλλοντος. ∆εῦτε τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν προ λαβόντων μνήμην ἀναδραμόντες, τὴν ἐξ Ἰεσσαὶ ῥά βδον ὑπερφυῶς οὕτως βλαστήσασαν δοξάσωμεν, ἀνυ μνήσωμεν, μακαρίσωμεν, εὐφημίσωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνῳ τῷ [ἄλ. μόνον τὸν] Ἰωσὴφ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ θεο τόκῳ Μαρίᾳ προμαρτυρῶν [ἄλ. προσμαρτυρῶν] ὁ Λουκᾶς, ἐν τοῖς θείοις Εὐαγγελίοις, ἱστορεῖ πρὸς αὐ τὴν τὴν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ οἰκειότητα· Ἀνέβη γὰρ ὁ Ἰωσήφ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἰς πόλιν τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλεὲμ, ἀπογράψασθαι σὺν Μα ριὰμ τῇ μεμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ γυναικὶ, οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αβίδ. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ, ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον πάσης τῆς κτί σεως· καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι. Ἐσπαργάνωσεν τὸν ἀναβαλλόμε νον φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον. Ἐσπαργάνωσεν τὸν πᾶσαν κτίσιν δημιουργήσαντα. Ἀνέκλινεν ἐν φάτνῃ, τὸν ὑπὲρ χερουβὶμ καθήμενον, καὶ ὑπὸ μυριάδων ἀγγέ λων ἀνυμνούμενον. Ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀλόγων φάτνῃ ἀνεπαύ σατο ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ἵνα τοῖς ὄντως ἀλόγοις ἀνθρω πίνοις [γρ. ἀνθρώποις], κατὰ