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Train your mind in the womb of the barren; so that, when you see a womb that was maimed and bound against childbearing being opened by the grace of God, you may not be amazed on hearing that a virgin gave birth. Rather, be amazed, and be astounded, but do not disbelieve the miracle. When the Jew says to you, How did the virgin give birth? say to him, How did the barren and aged woman give birth? There were two impediments then, both the lateness of age, and the uselessness of nature; but in the case of the Virgin there was only one impediment, her not having partaken of marriage. The barren woman, therefore, prepares the way for the virgin. And so that you may learn that for this reason the barren women came first, so that the Virgin's birth might be believed, listen to the words 51.360 of Gabriel to her. For when he came and said to her, You will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, the Virgin was astounded and amazed, and said: How shall this be for me, since I do not know a man? What then says the angel? The Holy Spirit will come upon you. Do not seek the sequence of nature, he says, when what is happening is beyond nature; do not look for marriage and birth pangs, when the manner of the birth is greater than marriage. And how will this be, she says, since I do not know a man? And yet for this reason this will be, because you do not know a man. For if you knew a man, you would not have been deemed worthy to serve in this ministry. So that for the reason you disbelieve, for this reason you should believe. You would not have been deemed worthy to serve in such a ministry, not because marriage is evil, but because virginity is better; and the entrance of the Lord had to be more venerable than ours; for it was a royal entrance; and the king enters through a more venerable one. He had both to share our birth, and to be different from ours. Therefore, both these things are provided for. For to be born from a womb is common to us; but to be born without marriage is greater than what is according to us. And to be carried in a womb and conceived is of human nature; but for the conception to happen without intercourse is more venerable than human nature. For this reason both these things happened, so that you might learn both the superiority and the communion with you of the one being born. 8. And consider for me the wisdom of what was happening. Neither did the superiority mar the likeness and kinship to us, nor did the kinship to us obscure the superiority, but each was shown through all the events; and some things he had entirely as ours, and others were different from ours. But as I was saying, that for this reason the barren women came first, so that the birth from the Virgin might be believed, so that she herself might be led by the hand to faith in that announcement and promise, which she heard from the angel who said, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; thus, he says, you are to give birth. Do not look to the earth; from the heavens the power comes. What is happening is a grace of the Spirit, do not seek from me nature and the laws of marriage. But since those words were greater than her capacity, he wishes to provide another proof as well. But observe for me, how the barren woman guides her to faith in this. For since that proof was too great for the mind of the Virgin, listen how he brought the discourse down to humbler things, leading her by the hand through perceptible things. For behold, he says, Elizabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. Do you see that the barren woman was for the sake of the Virgin? since, for what reason did he bring up to her the birth of her kinswoman? for what reason did he say, In her old age? for what reason did he add, Who was called barren? Through all these things he was clearly leading her to believe in the good news. For this reason he mentioned her age, and the crippling of her nature; for this reason 51.361 he also waited for the time since the conception; for he did not bring the good news to her right from the beginning, but waited for it to be the sixth month for the barren woman; so that the swelling of the womb might henceforth guarantee the pregnancy, and become an indisputable proof of the conception. And observe for me again the understanding of Gabriel. For he did not remind her of Sarah, nor of

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γύμνασόν σου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ τῶν στειρῶν· ἵν', ὅταν ἴδῃς πεπηρωμένην καὶ δεδεμένην τὴν μήτραν πρὸς παιδοποιίαν ἀνοιγομένην ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἀκούων ὅτι παρθένος ἔτεκε. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ θαύμασον, καὶ ἐκπλάγηθι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπιστήσῃς τῷ θαύματι. Ὅταν λέγῃ πρὸς σὲ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, Πῶς ἔτεκεν ἡ παρθένος; εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, Πῶς ἔτεκεν ἡ στεῖρα καὶ γεγηρακυῖα; ∆ύο κωλύματα τότε ἦν, τό τε ἄωρον τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ τὸ ἄχρηστον τῆς φύσεως· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Παρθένου ἓν κώλυμα μόνον ἦν, τὸ μὴ μετασχεῖν γάμου. Προοδοποιεῖ τοίνυν τῇ παρθένῳ ἡ στεῖρα. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο αἱ στεῖραι προέλαβον, ἵνα πιστευθῇ τῆς Παρθένου ὁ τόκος, ἄκουσον τῶν ῥημάτων 51.360 τοῦ Γαβριὴλ τῶν πρὸς αὐτήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἦλθε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ, καὶ τέξῃ υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν, ἐξεπλάγη ἡ Παρθένος καὶ ἐθαύμασε, καὶ εἶπε· Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω; Τί οὖν ὁ ἄγγελος; Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ. Μὴ ζήτει φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν, φησὶν, ὅταν ὑπὲρ φύσιν ᾖ τὸ γινόμενον· μὴ περιβλέπου γάμον καὶ ὠδῖνα, ὅταν μείζων γάμου τῆς γενέσεως ὁ τρόπος ᾖ. Καὶ πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω; Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκεις. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγίνωσκες ἄνδρα, οὐκ ἂν κατηξιώθης ὑπηρετήσασθαι τῇ διακονίᾳ ταύτῃ. Ὥστε δι' ὃ ἀπιστεῖς, διὰ τοῦτο πίστευε. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ κατηξιώθης τοιαύτῃ διακονίᾳ ὑπηρετήσασθαι, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ κακὸν ὁ γάμος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κρείσσων ἡ παρθενία· τὴν δὲ τοῦ ∆εσπότου εἴσοδον σεμνοτέραν ἐχρῆν εἶναι τῆς ἡμετέρας· βασιλικὴ γὰρ ἦν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διὰ σεμνοτέρας εἰσέρχεται. Ἔδει καὶ κοινωνεῖν τὴν γέννησιν ἐκεῖνον, καὶ ἐξηλλάχθαι τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οὐκοῦν ἀμφότερα ταῦτα οἰκονομεῖται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ μήτρας γενέσθαι, κοινὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς· τὸ δὲ χωρὶς γάμων γενέσθαι, μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Καὶ τὸ μὲν γαστρὶ κυηθῆναι καὶ συλληφθῆναι, τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης· τὸ δὲ χωρὶς μίξεως γενέσθαι τὴν κύησιν, σεμνότερον τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἀμφότερα ταῦτα γέγονεν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τὴν πρὸς σὲ μάθῃς τοῦ τικτομένου. ηʹ. Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὴν σοφίαν τῶν γινομένων. Οὔτε ἡ ὑπεροχὴ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁμοίωσιν καὶ συγγένειαν ἐλυμήνατο, οὔτε ἡ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγγένεια τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἠμαύρωσεν, ἀλλ' ἑκατέρα ἐδείκνυτο διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἁπάντων· καὶ τὰ μὲν ὁλόκληρα εἶχεν ἡμέτερα, τὰ δὲ ἐξηλλαγμένα πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο προέλαβον αἱ στεῖραι, ἵνα πιστευθῇ τῆς Παρθένου ὁ τόκος, ἵνα αὐτὴ χειραγωγηθῇ πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας καὶ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως ἐκείνης, ἧς ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου λέγοντος, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· οὕτω, φησὶν, ἔχεις τεκεῖν. Μὴ βλέπε πρὸς τὴν γῆν· ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἡ ἐνέργεια ἔρχεται. Πνεύματός ἐστι χάρις τὸ γινόμενον, μὴ ζήτει μοι φύσιν καὶ νόμους γάμων. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μείζονα ταύτης ἐκεῖνα ἦν τὰ ῥήματα, βούλεται καὶ ἑτέραν παρασχεῖν ἀπόδειξιν. Σὺ δέ μοι παρατήρει, πῶς ἡ στεῖρα αὐτὴν ὁδηγεῖ πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τούτου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκείνη ἡ ἀπόδειξις μείζων ἦν τῆς διανοίας τῆς Παρθένου, ἄκουσον πῶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ταπεινότερα κατήγαγε τὸν λόγον, διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν αὐτὴν χειραγωγῶν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐλισάβετ ἡ συγγενής σου, καὶ αὐτὴ συνειληφυῖα υἱὸν ἐν γήρᾳ αὐτῆς· καὶ οὗτος μὴν ἕκτος ἐστὶν αὐτῇ τῇ καλουμένῃ στείρᾳ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἡ στεῖρα διὰ τὴν Παρθένον; ἐπεὶ, τίνος ἕνεκεν παρήγαγεν αὐτῇ τὸν τόκον τῆς συγγενίδος; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἔλεγεν, Ἐν γήρᾳ αὐτῆς; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπήγαγε, Τῇ καλουμένῃ στείρᾳ; ∆ιὰ πάντων τούτων ἐνάγων αὐτὴν δηλονότι πρὸς τὸ πιστεῦσαι τῷ εὐαγγελισμῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν εἶπε, καὶ τὴν πήρωσιν τῆς φύσεως· διὰ τοῦτο 51.361 καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἀνέμεινε τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς συλλήψεως· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτῇ εὐθέως εὐηγγελίσατο, ἀλλ' ἀνέμεινεν ἑξαμηνιαῖον χρόνον τῇ στείρᾳ γενέσθαι· ἵνα ὁ τῆς γαστρὸς ὄγκος λοιπὸν τὴν κύησιν ἐγγυήσηται, καὶ ἀναμφισβήτητος ἀπόδειξις γένηται τῆς συλλήψεως. Καὶ θέα μοι πάλιν τὴν σύνεσιν τοῦ Γαβριήλ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνέμνησεν αὐτῆς τῆς Σάῤῥας, οὐδὲ τῆς