Since it was not given to the embryos to speak because of their immaturity, as the Baptist hastened to proclaim the Redeemer, his mother lent the organ of her body; for she was not filled with the Holy Spirit before the one bearing Christ arrived. But first the infant was filled with the Spirit, and leaped; and then in this way he imparted it to his mother, and Elizabeth cried out prophetically on account of the infant being carried in her. From the same. The people do not know the Savior performing signs and wonders; but John, while still in the womb, leaps, when the mother of Jesus came. For behold, she says, as the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. It was necessary for this blessed Mary, after the visit of Gabriel, to go up to the hill country. And she went with haste, being led by the Spirit within her, which had come upon her, and by the power of the Most High, which had overshadowed her. Just as sin began from a woman, and 17.321 after this reached the man; so also good things began from women, that women might be turned from weakness, and putting aside feminine things, might emulate the lives of these blessed ones. Verse 43. And whence is this clear to me, that the mother should come, and so on. From the same. Elizabeth speaks in harmony with her son, saying she is unworthy of the presence of the Theotokos, just as John also of standing before Christ. For what great good, she says, has been done for me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? She calls her who was still a virgin 'mother', anticipating the outcome with prophetic speech. Therefore, a divine economy brought the testimony to Elizabeth, so that both the testimony of John from the womb to the Lord might be fully assured through his own mother Elizabeth, and so that she [Mary], seeing Elizabeth according to the angel's word, and the miraculous conception in her, might through this believe the greater thing, that is, I mean, the seedless birth from her, the virgin herself. And the word of Elizabeth also concurs with this faith, saying: And blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. For the virgin was made more certain in faith by these words, being called blessed because she believed, with the angel having foretold it, and her kinswoman prophesying similarly. From the same. Let us then see a virgin's prophecy. Verse 40. My soul magnifies the Lord. How 'my soul magnifies the Lord' must be understood. If we live worthily according to the image of the one who created us, and are made like the archetype, as far as possible, through good works, we magnify the Lord in words, in works, in thoughts. But one diminishes him correspondingly, according to the evil existing in him. Therefore, the soul of Mary magnified the Lord, and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. First her soul magnified, then her spirit rejoiced. It is necessary to observe in the whole of the Old and the New Scripture, if it is possible anywhere to find it said at the birth of sinners: 'The time was fulfilled for her to give birth.' For one would not find it, I think; but where it is named, that the one being born is righteous. And this and the rest. Elizabeth, being a prophetess, and not having heard the revelation made to her husband, by the Holy Spirit spoke the name given by the angel, and said the child would be named John. And as they desired to learn from the father, and made signs to him, as to one who could not hear or speak; taking a tablet he wrote the child's name in agreement with his wife, so that all were astonished at these things. Then it says: And his mouth was opened. After he wrote on a tablet, clearly, that his name would be John, 17.324 his bound voice was loosed. And he recovered his tongue, no longer as before bound by unbelief, but blessing God, and prophesying the things that have been written. It is superfluous to say, and the rest. As I think, our fathers also, Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, and the whole choir of His holy prophets and righteous ones, enjoyed the
ἔδωκε λαλεῖν τοῖς ἐμβρύοις διὰ τὸ ἄωρον, σπεύ δοντι τῷ Βαπτιστῇ κηρύξαι τὸν Λυτρωτὴν, ἔχρησεν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ σώματος ὄργανον· οὐ γὰρ Πνεύματος ἁγίου πρότερον ἐνεπλήσθη, πρὶν ἐπιστῆναι τὴν κυο φορήσασαν Χριστόν. Πρῶτον δὲ τὸ βρέφος ἐπληροῦτο Πνεύματος, καὶ ἐσκίρτα· καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως τῇ μητρὶ μετεδίδου, καὶ ἀνεβόα προφητικὰ ἡ Ἐλισάβετ διὰ τὸ κυοφορούμενον ἐν αὐτῇ βρέφος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὲν λαὸς οὐκ οἶδε τὸν Σωτῆρα ποι οῦντα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἔτι ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ὢν σκιρτᾷ, ἡνίκα ἦλθεν ἡ μήτηρ Ἰησοῦ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς ἐγένετο ὁ ἀσπασμός σου εἰς τὰ ὦτά μου, ἐσκίρτησε τὸ βρέφος ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ μου. Ἔδει τὴν μακαρίαν ταύτην Μαριὰμ, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Γαβριὴλ ἐπιδημίαν, ἀναβαίνουσαν ἀναβῆναι ἐπὶ τὴν ὀρεινήν. Μετὰ σπουδῆς δὲ ἐπορεύετο ἀγομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ Πνεύματος, ὃ ἐπεληλύθει αὐτῇ, καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Ὑψίστου, τῆς ἐπισκιάσης αὐτῇ. Ὥσπερ ἤρξατο ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀπὸ γυναικὸς, καὶ 17.321 μετὰ τοῦτο ἔφθασεν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα· οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἤρξατο, ἵν' ἀπεντραπῶσιν αἱ γυναῖκες τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ τὰ γυναικεῖα ἀποθέ μεναι, ζηλώσωσι τοὺς βίους τῶν μακαρίων τούτων. Στίχ. μγʹ. Καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο δῆλον, ἵνα ἔλθῃ ἡ μήτηρ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Σύμφωνα τῷ υἱῷ φθέγγεται ἡ Ἐλισά βετ, ἀναξίαν ἑαυτὴν τῆς παρουσίας τῆς Θεοτόκου λέγουσα, ὥσπερ καὶ Ἰωάννης τῆς πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν παραστάσεως. Τί γάρ μοι, φησὶ, τηλικοῦτον πέπρα κται ἀγαθὸν, ἵνα ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Κυρίου μου ἔλθῃ πρός με; Μητέρα καλεῖ τὴν ἔτι παρθένον, φθάνουσα προ φητικῷ λόγῳ τὴν ἔκβασιν. Θεία μὲν οὖν οἰκονομία τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἤγαγε πρὸς τὴν Ἐλισάβετ, ἵνα καὶ ἡ μαρτυρία Ἰωάννου ἐκ μήτρας εἰς τὸν Κύριον διὰ τῆς ἰδίας μητρὸς Ἐλισάβετ πληροφορηθῇ, καὶ ἵνα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγγέλου φωνὴν ὀψομένη τὴν Ἐλισάβετ, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ παράδοξον κύημα, διὰ τούτου καὶ τὸ μεῖζον πιστεύσῃ, τουτέστι τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς φημι τῆς παρ θένου ἄσπορον τοκετόν. Καὶ συντρέχει πρὸς τὴν πί στιν ταύτην καὶ ὁ λόγος ὁ τῆς Ἐλισάβετ, λεγούσης· Καὶ μακαρία ἡ πιστεύσασα, ὅτι ἔσται τελείωσις τοῖς λελαλημένοις αὐτῇ παρὰ Κυρίου. Βεβαιοτέρα γὰρ πρὸς τὴν πίστιν ἐκ τούτων ἐγίνετο τῶν ῥημάτων ἡ παρθένος, μακαριζομένη, ὅτι ἐπίστευσεν, ἀγγέλου τε προσημαίνοντος, καὶ τῆς συγγενίδος παραπλησίως προφητευούσης. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἴδωμεν λοιπὸν παρθενικὴν προφη τείαν. Στίχ. μʹ. Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κυρίον. Πῶς ἡ ψυχή μου μεγαλύνει τὸν Κύριον, κατανοη τέον. Ἐὰν ἀξίως πολιτευώμεθα κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτί σαντος ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὁμοιωθῶμεν τῷ πρωτοτύπῳ, κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν, δι' ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, μεγαλύνομεν τὸν Κύ ριον λόγοις, ἔργοις, νοήμασι. Σμικρύνει δέ τις αὐτὸν ἀναλόγως, κατὰ τὴν κακίαν τὴν ἐνυπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ. Τῆς οὖν Μαρίας ἡ ψυχὴ ἐμεγάλυνε τὸν Κύριον, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα αὐτῆς ἠγαλλιάσατο ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρι. Πρῶτον ἐμεγάλυνεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, εἶτα ἠγαλλιάσατο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῆς. Παρατηρήσασθαι δεῖ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Παλαιᾷ καὶ τῇ Καινῇ Γραφῇ, εἴ πού ἐστιν εὑρεῖν ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν γενέσεως εἰρημένον τό· Ἐπλήσθη ὁ χρόνος τοῦ τεκεῖν. Οὐκ ἂν γάρ τις εὕροι, ὡς οἶμαι· ἀλλ' ὅπου ὠνόμασται, ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν ὁ γεννώμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Ἡ Ἐλισάβετ, προφῆτις οὖσα, καὶ τὴν γενομένην τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀποκάλυψιν μὴ ἀκούσασα, τῷ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ῥηθεῖσαν προσηγορίαν, καὶ Ἰωάννην ἔφασκε τὸ παιδίον ὀνομάσεσθαι. Ὡς δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἠξίουν μαθεῖν, καὶ διένευον αὐτῷ, ὡς μὴ ἀκούοντι ἢ λαλῆσαι δυναμένῳ· λαβὼν δέλτιον ἔγραψε συμφώνως τῇ ἑαυτοῦ γυναικὶ τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν προσηγορίαν, ὡς πάντας ἐπὶ τούτων ἐκ πλήττεσθαι. Εἶτά φησιν· Ἀνεῴχθη δὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ τὸ γράψαι δηλονότι ἐν δέλτῳ, ὅτι Ἰωάν 17.324 νης ἔσται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ἐλύθη ἡ δεδεμένη φωνή. Καὶ ἀπέλαβε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γλῶσσαν, οὐκέτι καθὰ πά λαι δεδεμένην τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἀλλ' εὐλογοῦσαν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ προφητεύουσαν τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. Περισσόν ἐστι τὸ λέγειν, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Ὡς οἶμαι καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ὅλος ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν καὶ δικαίων, ἀπήλαυσαν τῆς