,

He spoke with an articulate voice like us, but he commanded with divine authority beyond us, through which were the miracles. He journeyed on earthly feet like us, but on the back of the sea beyond us. He was crucified in the flesh like us, but on the cross he routed the opposing powers beyond us; of which the one is of a circumscribed nature; for it is like us; but the other is uncircumscribed, that which is beyond us; with neither harming the other's natural properties in the essential union, but with each standing within its own proper boundary. But you, fleeing to circumscribe, that is to depict in an image—for both are the same—both confuse the natures with the Acephali, and reject the economy with the Manichaeans. It would have been a lesser charge of foolishness for you, to speak the truth, to Judaize, than, while having the name of Christian, to be carried against Christ. Because the one who does not accept that God has been embodied, does not depict him in an image either, acting consistently with himself; but you, while accepting it, but not depicting it in an image, become inconsistent with yourself, incurring ridicule even from the Judaizer. And I do not yet speak of the insolence, but to them the discourse is thus 96.689 far, that we have not assembled dogmatically, but festally. But we, having addressed a few more things to the Virgin, and unfolding these things from which she has been named in the divinely-inspired Scripture, will conclude the discourse with these things, if even unworthily.

7. Hail, Mary, that is Myriad, because of the infinite number of your praises. For if one says myriad things about you, he would not reach your worth. Hail, Lady, as one who has received the lordship from the Lord of all in a manner befitting a mother, of whom if anyone should say all things are servants, he would not miss the mark with his word. Hail, sea-myrrh, who in the salty tide of life bore the flesh dead to sin, from whom comes sweetness, and all desire, He who says in the Songs, "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice." Hail, bush, the fire-woven wonder, who by privation is untrodden by sin; since you are both an untouched plant, and have shown a passable heaven to the earthborn from your divine childbearing. Hail, ark, the divinely-built shelter, the stewardess of the newly-created world, from which Christ comes forth, the new Noah, filling the world above with incorruption. Hail, rod, the divinely-planted shoot, the only child-bearer of all virgins, who blossomed without seed a son who is God and high priest of all. Hail, jar, the gold-fashioned vessel, she who is set apart from every vessel, from which the whole world is given manna, the bread of life baked in the fire of the Godhead. Hail, tabernacle, the pole of the Godhead, more excellent than the vaults of heaven, from which God spoke to men face to face, and from which eternal propitiation came into the world. Hail, censer, the golden-minded vessel, who bears the divine coal within, from which the fragrance of the Spirit breathed forth, driving the reeking corruption from the world. Hail, table, the divinely-instituted mixture, the participation abounding in all the good things of the virtues, to him who says in the Songs: "Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine." Hail, temple, the purely-wrought house of the Lord, about which David says: "Holy is your temple, wonderful in righteousness"; from which Christ, building a temple for himself, the body, shows mortals to be temples of the living God. Hail, holy place, the God-gushing spring full of all holiness, from which comes forth the Holy of holies, who purifies the world from pollution. Hail, place of the Lord, the God-trodden earth, who gave a place through the incarnation to Him who by His Godhead is outside of all this, from whom the simple one is composite; and the eternal one, in time; and the circumscribed one, the uncircumscribed one. Hail, house of God, the dwelling shining with divine splendors, whose lintel of chastity is inviolable; she who is full of the glory of the Lord, and more luminous in spirit than the fiery Seraphim. Hail, gate, that looks toward the east, from which the dayspring of life for men diminishes the setting of death; the path trodden by God, and bearing the keys of virginity. 96.692 Hail, heaven, the more honorable dwelling place of the surrounding space; she who is starred with the splendors of the virtues, from which the sun of righteousness arose, a day of no setting

Ἐλάλει φωνῇ ἐνάρθρῳ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ παρηγγυᾶτο ἐξουσίᾳ θεϊκῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, δι' ὧν τὰ θαύματα. Ὡδοποίει γεηροῖς ποσὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' εἰς νῶτα θαλάσσης ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς. Ἐσταυροῦτο σαρκὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ἐτροποῦτο ἐν σταυρῷ τὰς ἐναντίας δυνάμεις ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς· ὧν τὰ μὲν περιγραπτῆς φύσεως· τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς γάρ· τὰ δὲ ἀπεριγράπτου, τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς· οὐ λυμηναμένης θατέρας θάτερα τῇ οὐσιώδει συνόδῳ τὰ φυσικὰ ἰδιώματα, ἀλλ' εἴσω τῆς οἰκείας ὁροθεσίας ἑκατέρας ἑστώσης. Σὺ δὲ φεύγων τὸ περιγράφειν, ἤτοι εἰκονίζειν· ταυτὸν γὰρ ἀμφότερα, καὶ τὰς φύσεις φύρεις σὺν Ἀκεφάλοις, καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀποσκευάσῃ σὺν Μανιχαίοις. Ἧττον ἦν σοι εἰς ἀνοίας λόγον, ἵνα τὸ ἀληθὲς εἴπω, Ἰουδαΐζειν, ἢ τὴν προσηγορίαν Χριστιανοῦ ἔχοντι κατὰ Χριστοῦ φέρεσθαι. Ὅτι ὁ μὲν οὐ προσιέμενος Θεὸν σεσωματῶσθαι, οὔτε εἰκονίζει, ἀκόλουθα ἑαυτῷ πράσσων· σὺ δὲ προσηκάμενος μὲν, μὴ εἰκονίζων δὲ, ἀνακόλουθος σεαυτῷ γίνῃ, γέλωτα ὀφλισκάνων καὶ τῷ Ἰουδαΐζοντι. Καὶ οὔπω λέγω τὴν ὕβριν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὲν ἐκείνους τοσοῦ96.689 τος ὁ λόγος, ὅτι μὴ δογματικῶς, ἀλλ' ἑορταστικῶς συνηθροίσθημεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἔτι βραχέα προσειπόντες τῇ Παρθένῳ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐξ ὧν ὠνόμασται ἐν τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ ἀνελίττοντες, συμπερανοῦμεν ἐν τούτοις, εἰ καὶ ἀναξίως, τὸν λόγον.

ζʹ. Χαῖρε, Μαρία, ἤτοι μυρία, διὰ τὸ ἀπειροπληθὲς τῶν ἐγκωμίων. Μυρία γὰρ εἰπὼν περὶ σοῦ τις, οὐκ ἂν ἐφίκοιτο τῆς ἀξίας. Χαῖρε, Κυρία, ὡς τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Κυρίου μητροπρεπῶς τὴν κυρείαν εἰληφυῖα, ἧς τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλά τις φήσας, οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ βάλλοι τὸν λόγον. Χαῖρε, σμύρνα θαλασσία, ἡ ἐν τῇ ἁλμυρᾷ τοῦ βίου ῥοπῇ τὴν σάρκα νεκροφοροῦσα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐξ ἧς γλυκασμὸς, καὶ ὅλως ἐπιθυμία, ὁ λέγων ἐν Ἄσμασιν, Ἐτρύγησα σμύρναν μετὰ ἀρωμάτων μου. Χαῖρε, βάτε, τὸ πυρίπλοκον θαῦμα, ἡ κατὰ στέρησιν ἄβατος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· ἐπεὶ καὶ φυτὸν ἀθιγὲς, καὶ βατὸν οὐρανὸν δεδειχυῖα γηγενέσιν ἐκ θεογονίας σου. Χαῖρε, κιβωτὲ, τὸ θεόδμητον στέγος, ἡ τοῦ νεοκτίστου κόσμου ταμία, ἀφ' ἧς ἔξεισι Χριστὸς, ὁ νέος Νῶε, πληρῶν τὸν ἄνω κόσμον τῇ ἀφθαρσίᾳ. Χαῖρε, ῥάβδος, τὸ θεόφυτον ἔρνος, ἡ μόνη πασῶν παρθένων τεκνοφόρος, ἐξ ἀσπορίας ἀνθήσασα υἱέα τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων Θεὸν καὶ ἱεράρχην. Χαῖρε, στάμνε, τὸ χρυσόπλαστον ἄγγος, ἡ παντὸς ἄγγους ἐξῳκισμένη, ἀφ' ἧς μανναδοτεῖται ἅπας ὁ κόσμος, τὸν ἐν πυρὶ τῆς Θεότητος ἐξοπτηθέντα τῆς ζωῆς ἄρτον. Χαῖρε, σκηνὴ, ὁ θεότητος πόλος, οὐρανοῦ τῶν ἀψίδων προφερεστέρα, ἀφ' ἧς αὐτοπροσώπως ὡμίλησε Θεὸς ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ἐξ ἧς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἱλασμὸς ἐπεδήμησεν αἰώνιος. Χαῖρε, θυμιατήριον, τὸ σκεῦος τὸ χρυσόνουν, ἡ τὸν θεῖον ἄνθρακα ἔνδον φέρουσα, ἀφ' ἧς διέπνευσεν εὐωδία τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὴν μυδῶσαν φθορὰν ἐκ κόσμου ἀπελαύνουσα. Χαῖρε, τράπεζα, τὸ θεόθετον κρᾶμα ἡ πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἀρετῶν πλήθουσα μέθεξις, τῷ λέγοντι ἐν Ἄσμασιν· Ὀμφαλός σου κρατὴρ τορευτὸς, μὴ ὑστερούμενος κράματος. Χαῖρε, ναὲ, τὸ καθαρότευκτον Κυρίου δῶμα, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ ∆αβίδ· Ἅγιος ὁ ναός σου, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ἐξ οὗ ναουργῶν Χριστὸς ἑαυτῷ τὸ σῶμα, ναοὺς δείκνυσι τοὺς βροτοὺς Θεοῦ ζῶντος. Χαῖρε, ἁγίασμα, ἡ κρήνη ἡ θεόβρυτος ἡ πάσης ἁγιστείας ἀνάπλεως, ἐξ ἧς πρόεισι τῶν ἁγίων Ἅγιος, ὁ ἐξ ἐναγείας ἀποκαθαίρων κόσμον. Χαῖρε, τόπος Κυρίου, ἡ θεοστιβὴς γαῖα, ἡ τὸν ἔξω τούτου παντὸς τῇ Θεότητι τοπώσασα τῇ σαρκώσει, ἐξ ἧς ὁ ἁπλοῦς, σύνθετος· καὶ ὁ ἀΐδιος, ἔγχρονος· καὶ ὁ περιγραπτὸς, ὁ ἀπερίγραπτος. Χαῖρε, οἶκος Θεοῦ, ὁ θείαις ἀγλαΐαις ἐκλάμπων δόμος, οὗ τὸ ὑπέρθυρον ἀναφαίρετον τῆς ἁγνείας· ἡ πλήρης δόξης Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν πυρίνων Σεραφὶμ φωτοειδεστέρα ἐν πνεύματι. Χαῖρε, πύλη, ἡ ἀνατολόβλεπτος, ἐξ ἧς ἡ τῆς ζωῆς ἀνατολὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν τοῦ θανάτου δύσιν μειοῦσα· ἡ θεόδευτος βάτος, καὶ τὰς κλεῖς τῆς παρθενίας φέρουσα. 96.692 Χαῖρε, οὐρανὲ, τὸ τοῦ περικοσμίου χώρου ἐνδιαίτημα τιμιώτερον· ἡ ταῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν λαμπηδόσι κατάστερος, ἐξ ἧς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν, ἡμέραν ἀδύτου