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The all-praised pair of the Word, the most divine harmony of all couples. For if her branch is surpassing of all, is not her root surely more excellent? But for us, a stock so well-rooted, so noble in nature and most eminent, was for a time barren of fruit. The spring most pure, but bearing no stream. An abominable misfortune. The things at hand are comprehensible and painful. What then? The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all their troubles. From afar David, most divinely inspired, signified such things: The righteous, he says, cried out. This pair has been seen by me to represent the person of all humanity. Therefore they saw humanity destitute of the knowledge of God, the world widowed from unbelief; since indeed, They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, according to that which is sung. Painful the disorder, gloomy the barrenness. The righteous cried out, that is to say, in their own paradise. For what reason? Since indeed from paradise grievous sin came forth, there the God of all says to the first mother: I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy groaning; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy turning shall be to thy husband. For what did they cry out? Requesting the fruit of the womb, that is, the fruitfulness of the knowledge of God, and it is likely they prayed these things. Adonai Lord Eloi Sabaoth, you know the reproach of childlessness. You know the despondency of barrenness. If you will indeed look on the affliction of your servants, and will give to your servants seed of a child, we will give him before you as a gift. And indeed the Lord heard them, he who is swift to mercy, but slow to anger, giving Mary, she of the sovereign name, as a ransom so splendid and noble in place of Eve. The daughter has become a mother's healing; the new dough of the divine remolding, the all-holy first-fruit of the race, the root of the divinely-spoken branch, the exultation of the forefather. O the beneficence! O the great gift! Does not the sun itself now send forth brighter rays, somehow perceiving the exceeding joy? Does not also all creation, as it were, exult in hope of freedom from corruption, at the birth of her who incorruptibly conceives the liberator of the world? Consider also what follows; be a lover of hearing, beloved, and do not shrink from the investigation. Churn, he says, milk, and there will be butter. Suitable is the place of the prayer of the righteous. Having prayed in a paradise, they brought forth a paradise, much more blessed than the first. There a serpent, having whispered, easily deceived Eve. Here Gabriel the archangel, having spoken joyful tidings to Mary, troubled, but did not deceive. There obedience to the serpent brought forth grim death. Here persuasion by the angel brought in its place ever-joyful life for men. There the sentence was painful to her who gives birth from disobedience; here the coming upon of the Holy Spirit, joyful things to her who has prophetically escaped the sorrowful birth pangs. O the exchange of deeds! O the newness of the things accomplished! The old things have passed away (let it be said here also), behold, all things have become new. The present festival shines forth, the beginning of a house, according to the most exact contemplation, and of the sojourn of God among men.

6. You have, O friend, the solution to what is sought. The debt of the promise has been received. Come, say you yourself also with Isaiah the words of Isaiah: O Lord my God, I will glorify thee; I will hymn thy name, for thou hast done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel. Soon therefore you will also see the blessed one entering into the Holy of Holies, as one already consecrated to the most holy God; then conceiving in her womb the incomprehensible one. O the wonder! For the one who contains the universe in his hand to dwell in a small body. And how is he not circumscribed, O Christ-fighter (that I may make a small digression)? Because, though he is according to us, he says, yet he is above us. And what is this? For the difference and distinction is not according to the human form, but according to the nature of the Godhead; for example, he was nursed at his mother's breasts in a human way; but he provided life to his mother in a way befitting God.

πανεύφημος τοῦ Λόγου ξυνωρὶς, ἡ πασῶν συζυγιῶν θεσπεσιωτέρα ἁρμονία. Ἧς γὰρ ὁ κλάδος ὑπερφερὴς ἁπάντων, οὐ δήπου ταύτης ἡ ῥίζα μὴ προσφερεστέρα; Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εὔριζος φυὰς οὕτω μεγαλοφυής τε καὶ ἐξοχωτάτη, καρποῦ δὲ τέως ἄγονος. Καθαρωτάτη ἡ πηγὴ, ἀλλὰ ῥεῖθρον οὐ φέρουσα. Ξυμφορὰ ἡ ἀπευκταία. Εὐληπτικὰ καὶ ἐπώδυνα τὰ παριστάμενα. Τί οὖν; Ἐκέκραξαν δίκαιοι, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς. Πόῤῥωθεν ∆αβὶδ ἐνθεαστικώτατα διεσήμανε τοιάδε· Ἐκέκραξαν, φησὶν, οἱ δίκαιοι. Τῆς ὅλης ἀνθρωπότητος πρόσωπον εἰσφέρειν μοι ἡ δυὰς αὕτη τεθεώρηται. Ἐθεώρουν τοιγαροῦν θεογνωσίας τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἔρημον, ἐξ ἀπιστίας τὸν κόσμον χηρεύοντα· ἐπείπερ, Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, κατὰ τὸ ᾀδόμενον. Ὀδυνηρὰ ἡ ἀταξία, κατηφὴς ἀκαρπία. Ἐκέκραξαν οἱ δίκαιοι, ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ δηλαδὴ παραδείσῳ. Ὅτου ἕνεκα; Ἐπειδήπερ ἐκ παραδείσου ἡ λυπηρὰ ἁμαρτία ἐξελήλυθεν, ἐκεῖ φησι τῇ προμήτορι ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· Πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου, καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου. Ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου. Τί ἐκέκραξαν; Καρπὸν κοιλίας, ἤγουν εὐκαρπίαν θεογνωσίας ἐξαιτούμενοι, καὶ ταῦτα εἰκὸς προσευχόμενοι. Ἀδωναῒ Κύριε Ἐλωῒ Σαβαὼθ, οἶδας τῆς ἀπαιδίας ὄνειδος. Γινώσκεις τῆς ἀκαρπίας τὸ ἄθυμον. Ἐὰν ἐπιβλέπων ἐπιβλέψῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῶν δούλων σου, καὶ δῷς τοῖς δούλοις σου σπέρμα παιδὸς, δώσομεν αὐτὸ ἐνώπιόν σου δοτόν. Καί γε ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, ὁ ταχὺς εἰς ἔλεον, βραδὺς δὲ εἰς ὀργὴν, δοὺς τὴν κυριώνυμον Μαρίαν λύτρον οὕτως ἀγλαὸν καὶ μεγαλοφυὲς ἀντὶ τῆς Εὔας. Θυγάτηρ ἴαμα μητρικὸν γεγένηται· τὸ νέον φύραμα τῆς θείας ἀναπλάσεως, ἡ παναγία ἀπαρχὴ τοῦ γένους, ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ θεοφράστου κλάδου, τὸ τοῦ προπάτορος ἀγαλλίαμα. Ὢ τῆς εὐεργεσίας! ὢ τῆς μεγαλοδωρεᾶς! Ἆρα οὐχὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ἥλιος φαιδροτέρας νῦν τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀφίησι τῆς περιχαρείας πως αἰσθόμενος; Ἆρα οὐχὶ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις οἷον ἐναβρύνεται ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς ἐκ φθορᾶς ἐλευθερίας, ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει τῆς ἀφθόρως κυούσης τὸν ἐλευ96.688 θερωτὴν τοῦ κόσμου; Σκόπει καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· φιλακροάμων ἔσο, ἀγαπητὲ, καὶ μὴ ἀποκνῇς πρὸς τὴν ἔρευναν. Ἄμελγε, φησὶ, γάλα, καὶ ἔσται βούτυρον. Κατάλληλος ὁ τόπος τῆς δικαίων προσευχῆς. Ἐν παραδείσῳ προσευξάμενοι, παράδεισον ἔτεκον, πολὺ τοῦ προτέρου μακαριώτερον. Ἐκεῖ ὄφις ψιθυρίσας, εὐάλωτα τὴν Εὔαν ἐξηπάτησεν. Ἐνταῦθα Γαβριὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ὁμιλήσας τῇ Μαρίᾳ εὐφρόσυνα, διετάραξεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξηπάτησεν. Ἐκεῖ ἡ τοῦ ὄφεως ὑπακοὴ θάνατον τὸν ἀμειδῆ προεξένησεν. Ἐνταῦθα ἡ πειθὼ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ζωὴν τὴν ἀειχαρῆ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀντεισήγαγεν. Ἐκεῖ ἡ ἀπόφασις ὀδυνηρὰ τῇ ἐκ παρακοῆς τικτούσῃ· ἐνταῦθα ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησις, χαρμόσυνα τῇ ἐκπεφευγυίᾳ προφητικῶς τὰς λυπικὰς ὠδῖνας. Ὢ τῆς ἐξαλλαγῆς τῶν πραττομένων! ὢ τῆς καινότητος τῶν τελουμένων! Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθε (λελέχθω κἀνταῦθα), ἰδοὺ γέγονε τὰ πάντα καινά. Οἴκου ἀρχὴ κατὰ ἀκριβεστάτην θεωρίαν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιδημίας ἡ παροῦσα πανήγυρις προεκλάμπουσα.

ςʹ. Ἔχεις, ὦ φιλότης, τοῦ ζητουμένου τὴν λύσιν. Ἀπέλαβεν τῆς ὑποσχέσεως τὸ χρέος. ∆εῦρο, λέξον καὶ αὐτὸς σὺν Ἡσαΐᾳ τὰ Ἡσαΐου· Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, δοξάσω σε· ὑμνήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν. Μικροῦ μὲν οὖν καὶ ὄψει τὴν μακαρίαν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσιοῦσαν, ὡς ἤδη τῷ παναγεστάτῳ Θεῷ ἀφιερωμένην· ἔπειτα συλλαμβάνουσαν ἐν γαστρὶ τὸν ἀπερίληπτον. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Εἰς μικρὸν σώματος ἐνοικῆσαι τὸν περιέχοντα δρακὶ τὰ σύμπαντα. Καὶ πῶς οὐ περιγραπτὸς, ὦ Χριστομάχε (ἵνα μικρὸν παραθεωρήσω); Ὅτι, εἰ καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν μορφὴν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν θεότητος φύσιν ἡ διαφορὰ καὶ ἐξαλλαγή· οἷον ἐγαλουχεῖτο μαζοῖς μητρικοῖς ἀνθρωπικῶς· ἀλλὰ παρεῖχε τὸ ζῇν μητρὶ θεοπρεπῶς.