the Lord becomes neither greater nor lesser, but what he is, he is; how then can a soul magnify the Lord? Because "it is an image of the invisible God," not having become an image, but "according to an image" pre-existing it, if we conduct ourselves worthily according to the image of the one who created us and are conformed to the prototype as much as possible through good works. And each of us, perfecting his own soul and advancing it to blessedness, sets up a kind of image of Christ, that is, one imitating the prototype, the son of God, 8.49 the image of God. When, therefore, I make great the image of the image, I mean the soul itself, magnifying it by words, works, thoughts, then it is said to magnify. And just as "the soul" of the just "magnifies the Lord" according to the greatness of his life and his word, so also one diminishes him correspondingly according to the evil existing in him. 8.50 Therefore, of Mary, "the soul" magnified "the Lord," and "the spirit" of her "rejoiced in God the savior." And she ascends well in the progress of her works; first her soul magnified, then her spirit rejoiced. For one rejoices in spirit in God the savior in the progress of life, coming to this from magnifying. 8.51 "Because he has regarded," it says, "the lowliness of his handmaiden." "Lowliness" is no different from freedom from pride; since, therefore, it is fitting for God to regard virtues, and humility is a virtue, "he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden." 9.54 [that] to many it seems superfluous to say: "the time was fulfilled for her to give birth and she bore a son." For what woman can bear a son, if the time of conception has not been fulfilled? It is necessary to observe in the whole of the old and new scripture, if it is possible anywhere to find it said of a sinner's birth: "the time was fulfilled for her to give birth"; for one would not find it, I think, but wherever such is named, the one being born is just; therefore the days of the birth of the just one and of his sojourn are fulfilled. And the sojourn of the just has fullness, but that of the wicked has emptiness; so also now 9.55 it is said, that "for Elizabeth the time to give birth was fulfilled," since she was bearing a holy one. But when the relatives, wishing to name the child Zechariah in honor of his father, Elizabeth, being a prophetess and moved by the holy spirit, although she had not heard the revelation made to her husband about the child's name, knew by the spirit the name spoken by the angel and said that the child was to be named John. And as they desired to learn from the father also and "they made signs" to him as to one who could not hear or speak, and Zechariah spoke in agreement with his wife by hand and by writ- 9.56 ing; having taken a tablet, he wrote the name of the child, so that all were astonished at this and wondered: "what will the child be?" Now John is interpreted as "grace of God"; for which reason also, after Zechariah had written on a tablet that "John is his name," immediately by the grace of God "his mouth was opened," his bound voice was "loosed" and he recovered his own tongue, no longer as before bound by unbelief; for when his tongue was bound by unbelief, it was human, but when 9.57 it is loosed, no longer so; for "he speaks, blessing God" and prophesying the things that have been written. 10.58 And Zechariah prophesies two general prophecies, the first concerning Christ, and the next concerning John; and it is possible to observe from the words of the former, that it is about Christ as one already present and having come into life, then later he speaks about John as one present and says: "blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has visited and has made redemption for his people." 10.59 And perhaps in the three months, during which Mary was with him, being helped little by little through a secret power, he came to be filled with the spirit and to prophesy the things that have been written. For since Christ "according to the flesh was born of the seed of David" and he was truly "a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant," for this reason he prophesies these things. That Christ is a horn,

κύριος οὔτε μείζων γίνεται οὔτε ἐλάττων, ἀλλ' ὅ ἐστιν, ἐστίν· πῶς οὖν δύναται ψυχὴ μεγαλῦναι τὸν κύριον; Ὅτι «εἰκών ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου», οὐ γενομένη εἰκών, ἀλλὰ «κατ' εἰκόνα» προυπάρχουσαν αὐτῆς, ἐὰν ἀξίως πολιτευώμεθα κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξο μοιωθῶμεν τῷ πρωτοτύπῳ κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν δι' ἀγαθῶν ἔργων. Ἕκαστος δὲ ἡμῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τελειῶν καὶ προάγων ἐπὶ μακαριότητα οἷον εἰκόνα τοῦ Χρι στοῦ ἀνατίθησιν, ἤτοι μιμουμένην τὸν πρωτότυπον, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, 8.49 τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὅταν οὖν μεγάλην ποιήσω τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς εἰκόνος, λέγω δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχήν, μεγαλύνων λόγοις, ἔρ γοις, νοήμασιν, τότε μεγαλύνειν λέγεται. Ὥσπερ δὲ «μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχὴ» τοῦ δικαίου «τὸν κύριον» κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ βίου καὶ τοῦ λόγου, οὕτω καὶ σμικρύνει τις αὐτὸν ἀνα λόγως κατὰ τὴν κακίαν τὴν ἐνυπ άρχουσαν αὐτῷ. 8.50 Τῆς οὖν Μαρίας «ἡ ψυχὴ» ἐμεγά λυνε «τὸν κύριον», «τὸ» δὲ «πνεῦμα» αὐτῆς «ἠγαλλιάσατο ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι». Καλῶς δὲ ἀναβαίνει ταῖς προκοπαῖς τῶν ἔργων· πρῶτον ἐμε γάλυνεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, εἶτα ἠγαλ λιάσατο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῆς. Ἀγαλ λιᾷ γάρ τις πνεύματι ἐπὶ θεῷ σω τῆρι ἐν προκοπῇ βιῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ με γαλύνειν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐρχόμενος. 8.51 «Ὅτι ἐπέβλεψε», φησίν, «ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ». Ἡ «ταπείνωσις» οὐδὲν διαφέρει τῆς ἀτυ φίας· ἐπεὶ οὖν πρέπον θεῷ ἐπιβλέ πειν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, ἀρετὴ δὲ ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη, «ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ». 9.54 [ὅτι] πολλοῖς δοκεῖ περισσὸν εἶναι τό· «ἐπλήσθη ὁ χρόνος τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱόν». Ποία γὰρ γυνὴ δύναται τεκεῖν υἱόν, μὴ πληρωθέν τος τοῦ τῆς συλλήψεως χρόνου; Παρατηρήσασθαι δεῖ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ παλαιᾷ καὶ τῇ καινῇ γραφῇ, εἴ που ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοῦ γενέ σεως εἰρημένον τό· «ἐπλήσθη ὁ χρό νος τοῦ τεκεῖν»· οὐκ ἂν γάρ τις εὕροι ὡς οἶμαι, ἀλλ' ὅπου ὠνόμασται τὸ τοιοῦτο, δίκαιός ἐστιν ὁ γεννώ μενος· πληροῦνται οὖν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τῆς ἐπι δημίας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πληρότητα μὲν ἡ τοῦ δικαίου, κενότητα δὲ ἡ τοῦ φαύλου ἐπιδημία ἔχει· οὕτω καὶ νῦν 9.55 εἴρηται, ὅτι «τῇ Ἐλισάβετ ὁ τοῦ τεκεῖν χρόνος ἐπλήσθη», ἐπειδὴ ἅγιον ἔτικτεν. Εἰς τιμὴν δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς βουλομέ νων τῶν συγγενῶν ὄνομα θέσθαι τῷ παιδὶ Ζαχαρίαν ἡ Ἐλισάβετ προ φῆτις οὖσα καὶ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου κινουμένη, καίτοι τὴν γενομένην τῷ ἀνδρὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ παιδὸς ἀπο κάλυψιν μὴ ἀκούσασα, τῷ πνεύ ματι ἔγνω τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ῥηθεῖσαν προσηγορίαν καὶ Ἰωάννην ἔφασκε τὸ παιδίον ὀνομάζεσθαι. Ὡς δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἠξίουν μα θεῖν καὶ «διένευον» αὐτῷ ὡς μὴ ἀκούοντι ἢ λαλῆσαι δυναμένῳ, καὶ Ζαχαρίας δὲ τῇ χειρὶ καὶ τοῖς γράμ 9.56 μασι σύμφωνα ἐλάλησε τῇ γυναικί· λαβὼν δελτίον ἔγραψε τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν προσηγορίαν, ὡς πάντας ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐκπλήττεσθαι καί· «τί τὸ παιδίον ἔσται» στοχάζεσθαι. Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ Ἰωάννης «θεοῦ χάρις»· διὸ καὶ μετὰ τοῦ γράψαι τὸν Ζαχαρίαν ἐν δέλτῳ, ὅτι «Ἰωάννης ἐστὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ», εὐθέως τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ χάριτι «ἀνεῴχθη αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα», «ἐλύθη» ἡ δεδεμένη φωνὴ καὶ ἀπέλαβε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γλῶσσαν, οὐκέτι καθὰ πάλαι δεδεμένην τῇ ἀπι στίᾳ· ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ἐδέδετο τῇ ἀπι στίᾳ ἡ γλῶσσα, ἀνθρωπίνη ἦν, ὅτε 9.57 δὲ λέλυται, οὐκέτι· «λαλεῖ» γὰρ «εὐ λογῶν τὸν θεὸν» καὶ προφητεύων τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. 10.58 ∆ύο δὲ γενικὰς προφητείας προφη τεύει Ζαχαρίας, τὴν προηγουμένην περὶ Χριστοῦ, τὴν δὲ ἑξῆς περὶ Ἰωάννου· καὶ ἔστιν ἀπὸ τῶν λέξεων τηρῆσαι τῶν μὲν προτέρων, ὅτι περὶ Χριστοῦ ὡς ἤδη παρόντος καὶ ἐπιδε δημηκότος τῷ βίῳ, εἶθ' ὕστερον περὶ Ἰωάννου ὡς πρὸς παρόντα λέγει καὶ φησίν· «εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι ἐπεσκέψατο καὶ ἐποίησε λύτρωσιν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ». 10.59 Τάχα δὲ ἐν τοῖς τρισὶ μησίν, οἷς συνῆν αὐτῷ Μαρία, δι' ἀπορρήτου δυνά μεως ὠφελούμενος κατὰ βραχύ, ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ πληρωθῆναι πνεύματος καὶ προφητεῦσαι τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ «ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ γέ γονεν τὸ κατὰ σάρκα» ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἦν οὗτος ἀληθῶς «κέρας σωτη ρίας ἡμῖν ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αβὶδ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ», διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα προφη τεύει. Ὅτι δὲ κέρας ὁ Χριστός,