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is a strange path of childbearing found for me alone? for me alone are the ancient customs of generation made new? Teach me plainly, O angel, 62.767 the riddle of your words, explain to me the manner of your sayings, interpret for me the power of your good tidings, lead me by the hand to this strange childbirth, that I may learn little by little the mystery I am about to bear, learn how the impossible will become possible, learn how the impracticable finds some means, learn how what is without resource has been able to find a way, may I hear how grace innovates nature for the better, or how nature serves grace. And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you. You have learned the craftsman, do not inquire into the manner; you have learned the fashioner, do not inquire into the work; you have heard of the Holy Spirit, leave then the work to the Spirit himself. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

This only was I commanded to announce to you, that you will bear a son; but how you will bear, he who is born of you will himself teach you plainly. I as a servant have brought the word; the Master himself will add the deed, who also knows the manner; I am a deacon of royal commands, not an interpreter of divine counsels; I do not dare to teach you what I have not learned, I do not dare to interpret what I have not received, I do not dare to make public the matter of the mystery, I am not able to explain the good news. I proclaim the wonder, but am unable to speak the manner; I do not seek things that surpass all seeking, I do not pursue the incomprehensible, I do not meddle in things beyond me, I do not scrutinize the grace that is beyond reason, I do not analyze the ineffable birth. Truly the spiritual conception is beyond understanding, the wondrous pregnancy is beyond reason and the saving birth is beyond narration. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The Holy Spirit knows what he is working; the Son knows how he fashions for himself the spiritual dwelling. For the maker of nature does not serve the laws of nature; he alone has the counsel; he, as he wills, puts on the form of a servant. The Father knows the incarnation of the only-begotten Son; for where the Holy Spirit is, there also is the Son, and where the Son is, there also is the Father. The Trinity is inseparable, the Trinity is indivisible. For as in the beginning the Father, fashioning man, urged on the Son and the Spirit to the work, saying, Let us make man in our image and after our likeness; so also now that the re-fashioning has occurred, the holy Trinity is again ineffably present. For of whom the fashioning is one, of them also the re-fashioning is again in common. Therefore also the holy thing that is born will be called Son of God. For this is truly a holy offspring, this an unsown sprout, this an all-holy conception. This is the son of God because of his divinity, this also is your Son because of his humanity; this is consubstantial with the Father according to what is understood, this is consubstantial with you according to what is seen; this one is heavenly and earthly; this one is invisible and seen; this one is impassible in his divinity, this one is also passible in his humanity; and just as he is perfect God, so also is Jesus perfect man. And just as having become man he has remained unchangeable God, so also you remaining a virgin, will become also an incorruptible mother; for neither will virginity make war on the childbirth, nor will the childbirth campaign against virginity.

Sing praises then for what has happened, and do not meddle with the gift; marvel at the great gift, and do not doubt the grace; worship the mystery entrusted to you, and do not inquire into the strangeness of the wonder. If you believe sincerely, he who is believed will enlighten your soul; but if you search curiously, you will by no means find what you desire. Do you wish to learn? Learn the truth from a clear sign of the wonder concerning you. Do you wish to behold an image of the mystery of your birth? Look at your neighbor and kinswoman Elizabeth. For behold, he says, Elizabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this

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μόνης ξένη τρίβος παιδοποιίας εὑρίσκεται; ἐπ' ἐμοῦ μόνης τὰ ἀρχαῖα τῆς γονῆς ἔθη νεωτερίζεται; ∆ίδαξόν με φανερῶς, ὦ ἄγγελε, 62.767 τῶν λόγων τὸ αἴνιγμα, διήγησαί μοι τῶν ῥημάτων τὸν τρόπον, ἑρμήνευσόν μοι τῶν καλῶν σου εὐαγγελίων τὴν δύναμιν, χειραγώγησόν με πρὸς τὴν ξένην λοχείαν, ἵνα μάθω κατὰ μικρὸν ὃ μέλλω τίκτειν μυστήριον, μάθω πῶς τὰ ἀδύνατα γενήσεται δυνατὰ, μάθω πῶς τὰ ἀμήχανα τυγχάνει τινὸς μηχανῆς, μάθω πῶς τὰ ἄπορα πόνον εὑρεῖν δεδύνηται, ἀκούσω πῶς τὴν φύσιν ἡ χάρις ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον καινοτομεῖ, ἢ πῶς ἡ φύσις δουλεύει τῇ χάριτι. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος, εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ. Ἔμαθες τὸν τεχνίτην, μὴ περιεργάσῃ τὸν τρόπον· ἔμαθες τὸν πλάστην, μὴ περιεργάσῃ τὸ ποίημα· ἤκουσας περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, αὐτῷ λοιπὸν τῷ Πνεύματι τὴν ἐργασίαν κατάλιπε. Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι.

Τοῦτο μόνον ἐκελεύσθην σοι προσειπεῖν, ὅτι γεννήσεις υἱόν· πῶς δὲ γεννήσεις, αὐτός σε διδάξει σαφῶς ὁ τικτόμενος παρὰ σοῦ. Ἐγὼ τὸν λόγον ὡς δοῦλος ἐκόμισα· αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης τὸ ἔργον προσθήσει, ὃς καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐπίσταται· ἐγὼ διάκονός εἰμι βασιλικῶν προσταγμάτων, οὐχ ἑρμηνευτὴς θεϊκῶν βουλευμάτων· οὐ τολμῶ διδάξαι σε ἃ μὴ μεμάθηκα, οὐ τολμῶ ἑρμηνεῦσαι ἃ μὴ παρέλαβον, οὐ τολμῶ δημοσιεῦσαι τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐκ ἰσχύω διασαφηνίσαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. Τὸ θαῦμα βοῶ, τὸν δὲ τρόπον εἰπεῖν ἀτονῶ· οὐ ζητῶ τὰ πᾶσαν ζήτησιν ὑπερβαίνοντα, οὐ διώκω τὰ ἀκατάληπτα, οὐ πολυπραγμονῶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, οὐ λογοθετῶ τὴν ὑπὲρ λόγον χάριν, οὐ λεπτολογῶ τὴν ἀνεκδιήγητον γέννησιν. Ὄντως ὑπὲρ νοῦν ἡ πνευματικὴ σύλληψις, ὑπὲρ λόγον ἡ παράδοξος κύησις καὶ ὑπὲρ διήγησιν ὁ σωτήριος τόκος. Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ. Οἶδε τί ἐργάζεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· οἶδεν ὁ Υἱὸς, πῶς ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάζει τὸ πνευματικὸν οἰκητήριον. Οὐ γὰρ δουλεύει φύσεως νόμοις ὁ τῆς φύσεως ποιητής· αὐτὸς μόνος ἔχει τὸ βούλευμα· αὐτὸς, ὡς βούλεται, περιβάλλεται τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν. Οἶδεν ὁ Πατὴρ τὴν τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ ἐνανθρώπησιν· ὅπου γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ ὅπου ὁ Υἱὸς ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ. Ἀχώριστος ἡ Τριὰς, ἀδιαίρετος ἡ Τριάς. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ πλάττων τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Πατὴρ, πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν προετρέψατο τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα, εἰπὼν, Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν· οὕτω καὶ νῦν τῆς ἀναπλάσεως γενομένης, πάρεστι πάλιν ἀποῤῥήτως ἡ ἁγία Τριάς. Ἧς γὰρ ἡ πλάσις μία, ταύτης καὶ ἡ ἀνάπλασις πάλιν κοινή. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἅγιον γέννημα, τοῦτο ἄσπορον βλάστημα, τοῦτο πανάγιον κύημα. Οὗτος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τὴν θεότητα, οὗτος καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς σὸς διὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα· οὗτος ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρὶ κατὰ τὸ νοούμενον, οὗτος ὁμοούσιός σοι κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον· οὗτος ὁ οὐράνιος καὶ ἐπίγειος· οὗτος ὁ ἀόρατος καὶ βλεπόμενος· οὗτος ὁ ἀπαθὴς τῇ θεότητι, οὗτος καὶ παθητὸς τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι· καὶ ὥσπερ Θεὸς τέλειος, οὕτω καὶ ἄνθρωπος τέλειός ἐστιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος μεμένηκε Θεὸς ἀναλλοίωτος, οὕτω καὶ σὺ μένουσα παρθένος, γενήσῃ καὶ μήτηρ ἀδιάφθορος· οὔτε γὰρ ἡ παρθενία πολεμήσει τῷ τόκῳ, οὔτε κατὰ τῆς παρθενίας ὁ τόκος στρατεύεται.

Ὕμνει τοίνυν τὸ γενόμενον, καὶ μὴ πολυπραγμόνει τὴν δωρεάν· θαύμαζε τὸ μεγαλόδωρον, καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὴν χάριν ἀμφίβαλλε· προσκύνει τὸ πιστευθέν σοι μυστήριον, καὶ μὴ περιεργάζου τὸ ξένον τοῦ θαύματος. Ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς εἰλικρινῶς, αὐτὸς ὁ πιστευόμενος φωτίσει σου τὴν ψυχήν· ἐὰν δὲ περιέργως ἐρευνήσῃς, οὐχ εὑρήσεις ὃ ποθεῖς οὐδαμῶς. Θέλεις μαθεῖν; μάθε ἀπὸ φανεροῦ σημείου τοῦ κατὰ σὲ θαύματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Θέλεις τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς σῆς γεννήσεως τὴν εἰκόνα θεάσασθαι; γείτονά σου καὶ συγγενῆ τὴν Ἐλισάβετ θέασαι. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐλισάβετ ἡ συγγενής σου, καὶ αὐτὴ συνειληφυῖα υἱὸν ἐν τῷ γήρᾳ αὐτῆς· καὶ οὗτος