She, the ever-flourishing paradise of incorruption; in which the life-giving tree was planted, supplies to all the fruits of immortality [var. the fruit of incorruption]. She, the boast of virgins, the exultation of mothers. She, the support of believers, and the achievement of the pious. She, a garment of light, and the hearth of virtue [var. truth]. She, an ever-flowing spring, in which the living water gushed forth the incarnate presence of the Lord. She, the bulwark of righteousness, and all who have become lovers of her, and love virginal genuineness and purity, will enjoy angelic grace. All who abstain from the wine of drunkenness [var. from wine and drunkenness], and from the sensuality of strong drink, will be gladdened by the offspring of the life-bearing plant. All who have kept the lamp of virginity unquenched will be crowned with the unfading wreath of incorruption. All who have preserved the spotless tunic of chastity will be taken up into the mystical bridal chamber of righteousness. All who have drawn nearer to the angelic rank will more genuinely delight in the Lord's blessing. All who possess the illuminating oil of the mind, and the pure incense of the conscience, will inherit the promise of spiritual fragrance, and of adoption [var. spiritual adoption]. All who worthily celebrate the Annunciation of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, receive more genuinely the reward of the angelic message, "Hail, full of grace." We must therefore celebrate this feast, since it has filled the whole world with joy and gladness. And we celebrate in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs. Israel, too, once celebrated, but with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs; concerning which the prophet says: I will turn their feasts into sorrows, and into mourning, and their joy into dejection.

But our Lord has affirmed that He will turn our sorrows, through the fruits of repentance, into joy. The first covenant also had ordinances of worship, as in the time of the forefather Abraham, but in the pains of fleshly suffering through circumcision, until the fulfillment of the times. A law was given to them through Moses for instruction; but to us grace and truth have been given through Jesus Christ [var. came]. The beginning of all good things for us has been the Annunciation to Mary, full of grace, the much-hymned economy of the Savior, His inspired and supramundane teaching. From here the rays of the intelligible light dawn upon us. From here the springs of wisdom and immortality gush forth for us, pouring out the transparent and pure streams of piety. From here the treasures of the knowledge of God flash forth for us. For this is eternal life, that we may know the true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. And again: Search the Scriptures, for in them you will find eternal life [var. you think you have eternal life]. For this reason, to those who search the divine oracles the treasure of the knowledge of God is revealed. Today the Paraclete has laid open for us a treasure of the divinely inspired Scripture. And let the treasure of wisdom for us be the prophetic tongue and the apostolic teaching; for it is not possible without the Law and the prophets, or the evangelists [var. the Gospels], and the apostles, to have the sure hope of salvation. For through the tongue of the holy prophets and apostles our Lord speaks, and in the voices of the saints God is glorified, not needing the utterance, but rejoicing in the disposition, gaining nothing from men, but resting in the grateful soul of the righteous. For not from what we utter is Christ magnified, but from the benefits we receive, we gratefully proclaim the benefaction; not that we may attain to what is worthy, but that we may pay the debt according to our ability. But when the Gospel is read, or the apostolic reading, do not attend to the book, or to the reader; but to God speaking from heaven. For a book, the

Αὕτη, ὁ ἀειθα λὴς τῆς ἀφθαρσίας παράδεισος· ἐν ᾗ τὸ ζωοποιὸν ξύλον φυτευθὲν, τοῖς πᾶσιν χορηγεῖ ἀθανασίας καρ πούς [ἄλ. ἀφθαρσίας καρπόν]. Αὕτη, παρθένων τὸ καύχημα, μητέρων τὸ ἀγαλλίαμα. Αὕτη, πιστευόν των στήριγμα, καὶ εὐσεβῶν κατόρθωμα. Αὕτη, φωτὸς ἔνδυμα, καὶ ἀρετῆς [ἄλ. ἀληθείας] ἐφέστιον. Αὕτη, πηγὴ ἀένναος, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ζωὸν ὕδωρ ἔβλυσε τὴν ἔν σαρκον τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίαν. Αὕτη, δικαιοσύνης ἐχύρωμα, καὶ ὅσοι ταύτης γεγόνασιν ἐρασταὶ, καὶ τῆς παρθενικῆς ἐρῶσι γνησιότητος καὶ καθαρότητος, τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ἀπολαύσονται χάριτος. Ὅσοι τοῦ οἴνου τῆς μέθης [ἄλ. οἴνου καὶ τῆς μέθης], καὶ τῶν σι κέρων ἀπέχονται τῆς ἡδυπαθείας, ἐκ τοῦ γεννήμα τος εὐφρανθήσονται τῆς ζωηφόρου φυτείας. Ὅσοι τὴν λαμπάδα ἄσβεστον διετήρησαν τῆς παρθενίας, τὸν ἀμαράντινον στέφανον ἀναδήσονται τῆς ἀφθαρσίας. Ὅσοι τὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης ἄσπιλον περιεποιήσαντο χιτῶνα, εἰς τὸν μυστικὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης παραλη φθήσονται νυμφῶνα. Ὅσοι τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ βαθμοῦ πλησιαίτεροι γεγόνασι, γνησιαίτερον τοῦ δεσποτι οῦ κατατρυφήσουσι μακαρισμοῦ. Ὅσοι τὸ φωτιστι κὸν ἔλαιον τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὸ καθαρὸν τοῦ συνειδό τος θυμίαμα κέκτηνται, τῆς εὐωδίας τῆς πνευματι κῆς, καὶ τῆς υἱοθεσίας [ἄλ. πνευματικῆς υἱοθεσίας] κληρονομήσουσι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Ὅσοι ἀξίως τὸν Εὐαγγελισμὸν ἑορτάζουσι τῆς θεοτόκου Παρθένου Μαρίας, γνησιαίτερον τῆς ἀγγελίας, τοῦ, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, κομίζονται μισθαποδοσίαν. ∆εῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην ἑορτάζειν, ἐπειδὴ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσεν. Ἑορτά ζωμεν δὲ ἡμεῖς ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις, καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευ ματικαῖς. Ἑόρταζεν ποτὲ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις, καὶ πικρίσι· περὶ ὧν ὁ προφήτης λέγει· Μεταστρέψω τὰς ἑορτὰς αὐτῶν εἰς λύπας, καὶ εἰς πένθος, καὶ τὴν χαρμονὴν αὐτῶν εἰς κατήφειαν.

Τὰς δὲ ἡμετέρας λύπας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, διὰ τῶν καρ πῶν τῆς μετανοίας, εἰς χαρὰν μεταστρέψαι διεβε 10.1161 βαιώσατο. Εἶχεν μὲν καὶ ἡ πρώτη διαθήκη δικαιώ ματα λατρείας, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ προπάτορος Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλ' ἐν πόνοις σαρκίνης ἀλγηδόνος διὰ περιτομῆς, μέχρι χρόνων συμπληρώσεως. Νόμος ἐκείνοις διὰ Μωϋ σέως εἰς παιδείαν ἐδόθη· ἡμῖν δὲ ἡ χάρις, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δεδώρηται [ἄλ. ἐγένετο]. Πάντων ἡμῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀρχὴ γέγονεν ὁ Εὐαγγελι σμὸς τῆς κεχαριτωμένης Μαρίας, ἡ πολυύμνητος τοῦ Σωτῆρος οἰκονομία, ἡ ἔνθεος αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπερκόσμιος διδασκαλία. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν ἀνατέλλουσιν τοῦ νοεροῦ φωτὸς αἱ ἀκτῖνες. Ἐντεῦθεν ἀναβρύουσιν ἡμῖν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς σοφίας, καὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας, διειδῆ καὶ κα θαρὰ ἐκχέουσαι τῆς εὐσεβείας τὰ νάματα. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν ἀπαστράπτουσιν οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας. Ζωὴ γὰρ αὕτη ἐστὶν αἰώνιος, ἵνα γινώσκωμεν τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλεν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, ὅτι ἐν αὐταῖς εὑρήσετε ζωὴν αἰώνιον [ἄλ. δοκεῖτε ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν]. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ, τοῖς ἐρευνῶσι τὰ θεῖα λόγια ἀνακαλύπτεται ὁ θησαυρὸς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσεως. Θησαυρὸν ἡμῖν ἥπλωσε σήμερον τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς ὁ Παράκλητος. Θησαυρὸς δὲ ἡμῖν ἔστω σο φίας, ἡ προφητικὴ γλῶσσα, καὶ ἡ ἀποστολικὴ διδα σκαλία· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι χωρὶς νόμου καὶ προφητῶν, ἢ εὐαγγελιστῶν [ἄλ. Εὐαγγελίων], καὶ ἀποστόλων, ἔχειν τὴν ἀκριβῆ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων γλώττης ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν φθέγγεται, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων φωναῖς ὁ Θεὸς ἐγκαλλωπίζεται, οὐ τῆς λέξεως χρῄζων, ἀλλὰ τῇ διαθέσει χαίρων, οὐδὲν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων καρπούμενος, ἀλλὰ τῇ εὐγνώμονι ψυχῇ τῶν δικαίων ἐπαναπαυόμε νος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ὧν ἡμεῖς φθεγγόμεθα, Χριστὸς με γαλύνεται, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν εὐεργετούμεθα, τὴν εὐεργεσίαν εὐγνωμόνως κηρύττομεν· οὐχ ἵνα τῆς ἀξίας ἐφικνώ μεθα, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν κατὰ δύναμιν ὀφειλὴν ἀποτίσω μεν. Ὅταν δὲ ἀναγινώσκεται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἢ ἀπο στολικὸν, μὴ προσχῇς τῇ βίβλῳ, ἢ τῷ ἀναγινώσκοντι· ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ φθεγγομένῳ Θεῷ. Βίβλος μὲν γὰρ, τὸ