“to angels”. Descend in the word to the abyss [and likewise]; for he descended there also. “For he who descended is the one who also ascended, that he might fill all things”, “that at his name every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth”. See this power; for he passed through the whole world; 6.40 for it says that Jesus the son of God passed through the heavens. If therefore you see these things, you will see that it is not a little word, “he will be great”, but it is shown by deed that “great” is our Lord Jesus Christ, both absent and present. 7.41 The greater come to the lesser, that they might benefit them. So also the savior came to John, that he might sanctify his baptism; so Mary, having heard from the angel that she would bear the savior and having learned that her kinswoman Elizabeth had conceived, came to her. For Jesus, already within her, was about to benefit John, already within Elizabeth. And this is clear from the fact that John did not leap before Mary came and greeted Elizabeth, but at the same time as the word of Mary's greeting, which the Word of God, Christ, 7.42 prompted, the forerunner, moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, heard Mary's greeting and “the babe leaped in the womb for joy”, and from then on Jesus, as it were, began to make him a prophet. It was fitting for this blessed Mary, after Gabriel's visit to her and the annunciation, to go up “into the hill country”, and as one not slow in zeal, to proceed with haste; and she went with haste, being led by the Holy Spirit which had come upon her and by the power of the most High which had overshadowed her. 7.43 Therefore, at the greeting, “Elizabeth was filled” because of the son “with the Holy Spirit”; for the mother was not “filled with the Holy Spirit” first, but with John having previously been filled, the mother secondarily, since she had the one who was filled “with the Holy Spirit”. And one must not hesitate to say, lest anyone be deceived by those using plausibilities and teaching falsely, that someone dared to speak against Mary, that the savior denied her, since, he says, she was joined to Joseph after the birth of the savior. 7.44 If, therefore, such words are put forward by heretics, one must answer thus, that Elizabeth, being filled “with the Holy Spirit”, says: “blessed are you among women”. But if she is blessed by the Holy Spirit, how did the savior deny her? But they cannot even prove that she had intercourse after the birth of the savior; for the sons of Joseph were not from Mary, nor can anyone establish this from scripture. But when she says: “And why is this granted to me?”, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, does not speak in ignorance, as if: I do not know that it is from God that the mother “of my Lord has come to me”, but the phrase, “And why is this granted to me” is of this sort: for what great good, she says, has been done for me, “that the mother of my Lord should come to me”? From where, from what righteousness 7.45 or good works have I obtained this? “for behold, the babe leaped in my womb”. The soul of John was wondrous, and while still in his mother's womb and about to come to birth, he knew him whom Israel did not know. He did not simply “leap”, but “with joy”; for he perceived that the Lord had come in the mother, that he might sanctify him beforehand. 7.46 Because you have believed “what was spoken”, you are blessed; why? For there will be a fulfillment of them, and they have not been spoken by the angel in vain. 8.47 Before John, Elizabeth prophesies; before the birth of our savior, Mary prophesies. And just as sin began “from the woman” and after this reached the man, so also good things began from women, so that women might be urged, putting aside their weakness and womanish things, to emulate the lives of these blessed ones. Let us see, then, the virgin's prophecy, which says: “My soul magnifies the Lord”, not only the body, but also “my soul”. 8.48 How “the soul magnifies the Lord” must be understood. For someone will say: the

«ἀγγέλοις». Κατάβα τῷ λόγῳ εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον [καὶ ὡσαύτως]· κατέβη γὰρ κἀκεῖ. «Καταβὰς γὰρ αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβάς, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα», «ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων». Ἴδε ταύτην τὴν δύναμιν· διέβη γὰρ ὅλον τὸν κόσμον· 6.40 διεληλυθότα γάρ φησι τοὺς οὐ ρανοὺς Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἐὰν οὖν ταῦτα ἴδῃς, ὄψει, ὅτι οὐχὶ ῥημάτιόν ἐστι τό· «ἔσται μέγας», ἀλλ' ἔργῳ δείκνυται, ὅτι «μέγας» ἐστὶν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς καὶ ἀπὼν καὶ παρών. 7.41 Οἱ κρείττονες πρὸς τοὺς ἐλάτ τονας ἔρχονται, ἵνα αὐτοὺς εὐερ γετήσωσιν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην, ἵνα τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ ἁγιάσῃ· οὕτως ἡ Μαριὰμ ἀκούσασα τοῦ ἀγγέλου τέ ξεσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ μεμαθη κυῖα, ὅτι ἡ συγγενὴς αὐτῆς συνέ λαβεν Ἐλισάβετ, ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτήν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ Ἰησοῦς ἤδη ἤμελλεν εὐεργετεῖν τὸν ἤδη ἐν τῇ Ἐλισάβετ Ἰωάννην. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ σκιρτᾶν μὲν τὸν Ἰωάννην, πρὶν ἔλθῃ Μαριὰμ καὶ τὴν Ἐλισάβετ ἀσπάσηται, ἅμα δὲ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ Μαρίας, ὃν ὑπέβαλεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ Χρι 7.42 στός, ἤκουσεν ὁ πρόδρομος τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κινούμενος τὸν ἀσπασμὸν τῆς Μαρίας καὶ «ἐσκίρτησεν ἐν ἀγαλ λιάσει τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ», καὶ οἱονεὶ ἤρξατο ἔκτοτε προφήτην αὐ τὸν ποιεῖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ἔδει δὲ τὴν μακαρίαν ταύτην Μαρίαν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Γαβριὴλ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπιδημίαν καὶ τὸν εὐαγγελισμὸν ἀναβαίνουσαν ἀναβῆναι «ἐπὶ τὴν ὀρεινήν», ἅτε δὲ τῇ σπουδῇ μὴ ὀκνηρὰν σπουδαίως πορευθῆναι· μετὰ σπουδῆς δὲ ἐπο ρεύετο ἀγομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύ ματος τοῦ ἐπελθόντος αὐτῇ καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ὑψίστου τῆς ἐπι σκιασάσης αὐτῇ. 7.43 Οὐκοῦν ἐν τῷ ἀσπασμῷ «ἐπλήσθη» διὰ τὸν υἱὸν «πνεύματος ἁγίου ἡ Ἐλισάβετ»· οὐ γὰρ ἡ μήτηρ «ἐπλή σθη πνεύματος ἁγίου» πρῶτον, ἀλλὰ προηγουμένως πλησθέντος Ἰωάννου δευτέρως ἡ μήτηρ, ἅτε ἔχουσα τὸν πλησθέντα «πνεύματος ἁγίου». Οὐκ ὀκνητέον δὲ εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξαπατηθῇ τις ὑπὸ τῶν πιθανότησι χρωμένων καὶ διδασκόντων ψευδῶς, ὅτι ἐτόλμησέ τις εἰπεῖν κατὰ τῆς Μαρίας, ὡς ἄρα ὁ σωτὴρ αὐτὴν ἠρνήσατο, ἐπεί, φησίν, συνήφθη μετὰ τὴν ἀπότεξιν τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος τῷ Ἰωσήφ. 7.44 Εἴ ποτε οὖν τοιοῦτοι λόγοι ὑπὸ αἱρετικῶν προαχθῶσιν, οὕτως ἀπο κριτέον, ὅτι «πνεύματος ἁγίου» πλη σθεῖσα ἡ Ἐλισάβετ φησίν· «εὐλογη μένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν». Εἰ δὲ εὐλόγη ται ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, πῶς ἠρνήσατο αὐτὴν ὁ σωτήρ; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔχουσιν αὐτὴν ἀποδεῖξαι, ὅτι συνουσίᾳ ἐχρήσατο μετὰ τὴν ἀπό τεξιν τοῦ σωτῆρος· οἱ γὰρ υἱοὶ Ἰω σὴφ οὐκ ἦσαν ἀπὸ τῆς Μαρίας, οὐδὲ ἔχει τις τοῦτο παραστῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς. Τὸ δέ· «πόθεν μοι τοῦτο;» οὐκ ἀγνοοῦσα λέγει ἡ Ἐλισάβετ ἡ πνεύ ματος πλησθεῖσα ἁγίου, ὅτι· οὐκ οἶδα, ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ γεγένηται τὸ ἐλθεῖν τὴν μητέρα «τοῦ κυρίου μου πρός με», ἀλλὰ τό· «πόθεν μοι τοῦ το» τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· τί γάρ μοι, φη σίν, τηλικοῦτον πέπρακται ἀγαθόν, «ἵνα ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου μου ἔλθῃ πρός με»; πόθεν, ἀπὸ ποίας δικαιο 7.45 σύνης ἢ πράξεων ἀγαθῶν ἐπέτυχον τούτου; «ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐσκίρτησε τὸ βρέ φος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ μου». Τεράστιος ἦν ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ Ἰωάν νου, καὶ ἔτι ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ τῆς μητρὸς ὑπάρχουσα καὶ μέλλουσα εἰς γένεσιν ἥκειν ἔγνω, ὃν οὐκ ἔγνω Ἰσραήλ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ «ἐσκίρτησεν», ἀλλ' «ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει»· ᾔσθετο γάρ, ὅτι κύριος ἦλθεν ἐν τῇ μητρί, ἵνα αὐτὸν προλαβὼν ἁγιάσῃ. 7.46 Ἐπειδὴ «τοῖς λελαλημένοις» ἐπίστευ σας, μακαρία εἶ· διὰ τί; Ἔσται γὰρ τελείωσις αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ μάτην παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου λελάληνται. 8.47 Πρὸ Ἰωάννου Ἐλισάβετ προφητεύει, πρὸ τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ σω τῆρος ἡμῶν ἡ Μαρία προφητεύει. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἤρξατο ἡ ἁμαρτία «ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς» καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔφθασεν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἤρξατο, ἵνα προ τραπῶσιν αἱ γυναῖκες, τὴν ἀσθένειαν καὶ τὰ γυναικεῖα ἀποθέμεναι, ζηλῶ σαι τοὺς βίους τῶν μακαρίων τού των. Ἴδωμεν λοιπὸν τὴν προφητείαν τὴν παρθενικήν, ἥ φησιν· «Μεγα λύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν κύριον», οὐ μό νον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ «ἡ ψυχή μου». 8.48 Πῶς «ἡ ψυχὴ μεγαλύνει τὸν κύ ριον», κατανοητέον. Ἐρεῖ γάρ τις· ὁ