she received. And then with haste she went to Elizabeth her kinswoman, into the hill country. And entering into the house of Zacharias, she greeted Elizabeth, imitating the angel. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped with exultation in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore the voice of Mary was effective, and filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit [var. filled]; and as from an ever-flowing spring through her tongue she sent forth a river of gifts to her kinswoman through prophecy; and she made the feet of the babe, bound in the womb, to leap and bound. Which was a symbol of a miraculous dance.

For where the one full of grace has arrived, all things are filled with joy. And Elizabeth cried out with a loud voice, and said Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb; and whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Blessed are you among women. For you have become for them the beginning of the re-creation [var. resurrection]. You have given us boldness for entry into paradise, and have driven away the ancient pain. For no longer after you, is the race of women reproached. No longer do the heirs of Eve fear the ancient curse, nor the pain of childbirth. Since Christ the Redeemer of our race, the Savior of all nature, the spiritual Adam, the one who healed the wound of the man of dust, comes forth from your holy womb. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. For the planter of all good things, is shown to be your fruit. We see that the words of the barren one are brilliant; but again the holy Virgin spoke more brilliantly, and offers to God a song full of thanksgiving, and fragrance, and theology; announcing the new things with the ancient ones; preaching with the things from eternity the things for the consummation of the ages, and in brief speech summing up the mysteries of Christ. And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior, and what follows. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, and of the covenant which he made [var. established] with Abraham, and with his seed, forever. Do you see how the holy Virgin, both surpassed the patriarchal perfection, and confirms the covenant of God with Abraham, who said:

This is the covenant, which I will make between me and you. Therefore coming he confirms [var. fulfills] the covenant with Abraham, mystically receiving the sign of circumcision, and becoming the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Therefore the holy Theotokos sent up [var. offered] to God the song of this prophecy [var. therefore this song], saying: My soul 10.1168 magnifies the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced, in God my savior. Because the mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name For having made me Theotokos, he again preserved me a virgin; and through my womb, the fullness of all generations is summed up for sanctification. For he blessed every age, of men and women, of youths and children, and of the old. He has shown strength with his arm, for us, against death, and against the devil, having torn up [var. he tore up] the handwriting of our sins. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart [var. in the thought of their heart]; he scattered both the devil himself, and all the demons that war for him. For he was truly proud in heart, since he dared to say: Above the clouds of heaven I will set my throne, and I will be like the Most High. But how he has now scattered him, the prophet declared through what follows, saying: But now you will go down to Hades [var. you will be brought down to Hades], and all your hosts. For everywhere he scattered his altars, and the worship of vain gods; and from the nations a people

ἐδέχετο. Καὶ τότε μετὰ σπουδῆς πρὸς τὴν Ἐλισάβετ τὴν συγγενίδα αὐτῆς, εἰς τὴν ὀρεινὴν ἐπορεύετο. Καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ζαχαρία, ἠσπάσατο τὴν Ἐλισάβετ, μιμησαμένη τὸν ἄγγελον. Ὡς δὲ ἤκουσεν τὸν ἀσπα σμὸν τῆς Μαρίας ἡ Ἐλισάβετ, ἐσκίρτησε τὸ βρέ φος ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπλή σθη Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἡ Ἐλισάβετ. Οὐκοῦν ἡ φωνὴ τῆς Μαρίας ἐνήργησε, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου τὴν Ἐλι σάβετ ἐνέπλησε [ἄλ. ἐπλήρωσε]· καὶ καθάπερ ἐξ ἀεννάου πηγῆς διὰ τῆς γλώττης ποταμὸν χαρισμά των, διὰ τῆς προφητείας τῇ συγγενίδι ἐξέπεμψεν· καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ βρέφους τῇ γαστρὶ δεδεμένοις, ἅλλε σθαι καὶ σκιρτᾷν παρεσκεύασεν. Ὅπερ ἦν χορείας θαύματος σύμβολον.

Ἔνθα γὰρ ἡ κεχαριτωμένη παραγεγένηται, χαρᾶς τὰ πάντα πεπλήρωται. Ἀνε φώνησε δὲ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἡ Ἐλισάβετ, καὶ εἶπεν Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξὶ, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου· καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο, ἵνα ἔλθῃ ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Κυρίου μου πρὸς μέ; Εὐ λογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί. Σὺ γὰρ αὐταῖς ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀναπλάσεως [ἄλ. ἀναστάσεως] γέγονας. Σὺ παῤῥησίαν ἡμῖν τῆς εἰς παράδεισον εἰσόδου δέδωκας, καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν ὀδύνην ἐδίωξας. Οὐκέτι γὰρ μετὰ σὲ, τὸ γένος τῶν γυναικῶν ὀνειδίζεται. Οὐκέτι οἱ κληρονόμοι τῆς Εὔας φοβοῦνται τὴν ἀρχαίαν κατάραν, οὐδὲ τοῦ τοκετοῦ τὴν ὠδῖνα. Ἐπειδὴ Χριστὸς ὁ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν Λυτρωτὴς, ὁ Σωτὴρ ὅλης τῆς φύσεως, ὁ πνευματικὸς Ἀδὰμ, ὁ τοῦ χοϊκοῦ τὴν πληγὴν ἰασάμε νος ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας γαστρός σου προέρχεται. Εὐλογη μένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξὶ, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου. Ὁ γὰρ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν φυ τουργὸς, σὸς καρπὸς ἀναδέδεικται. Λαμπρὰ μὲν ὁρῶμεν καὶ τῆς στείρας τὰ ῥήματα· λαμπρότερα δὲ πάλιν ἡ ἁγία ἐφθέγξατο Παρθένος, καὶ ᾠδὴν τῷ Θεῷ εὐχαριστίας, καὶ εὐωδίας, καὶ θεολογίας γέμου σαν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνατίθησιν· μετὰ τῶν ἀρχαίων τὰ νέα καταγγέλλουσα· μετὰ τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος τὰ ἐπὶ συντε λείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων κηρύττουσα, καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ τῷ λόγῳ ἀνακεφαλαιωσαμένη τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ μυστήρια. Εἶ πεν δὲ Μαριάμ· Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύ ριον. Καὶ ἠγαλλίασεν τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρί μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀντελάβετο Ἰσραὴλ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ, μνησθῆναι ἐλέους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἧς ἔθετο [ἄλ. διέθετο] διαθήκης τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, ἕως αἰῶνος. Θεωρεῖς πῶς ἡ ἁγία Παρθένος, καὶ τὴν πατριαρχικὴν ὑπερέβαλεν τελειό τητα, καὶ βεβαιοῖ τὴν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ Θεοῦ δια θήκην, λέγοντος·

Αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη, ἣν διαθήσο μαι ἀναμέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. ∆ιὸ ἐλθὼν κυροῖ [ἄλ. πληροῖ] τὴν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ διαθήκην, μυστι κῶς τὸ σημεῖον τῆς περιτομῆς ἀναδεξάμενος, καὶ πλήρωμα νόμου καὶ προφητῶν γενόμενος. Ταύ της οὖν τῆς προφητείας [ἄλ. ταύτην οὖν ᾠδὴν] τὴν ᾠδὴν ἡ ἁγία Θεοτόκος τῷ Θεῷ ἀνέπεμπεν [ἄλ. ἀπένειμε], λέγουσα· Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή 10.1168 μου τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ ἠγαλλίασεν τὸ πνεῦμά́ μου, ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ σωτῆρί μου. Ὅτι ἐποίησέν μοι μεγαλεῖα ὁ δυνατὸς, καὶ ἅγιον τὸ ὄνο μα αὐτοῦ Θεοτόκον γὰρ ποιήσας με, πάλιν παρθένον διεφύλαξεν· καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς γαστρὸς, πασῶν γενεῶν εἰς ἁγιασμὸν ἀκακεφαλαιοῦται τὸ πλήρωμα. Πᾶσαν γὰρ ἡλικίαν ηὐλόγησεν, ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν, νεανίσκων καὶ παίδων, καὶ γερόντων. Ἐποίησεν κράτος ἐν βραχίονι αὐτοῦ, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτιῶν διαῤῥήξας [ἄλ. διέῤῥηξε] τὸ χειρόγραφον. ∆ιεσκόρπισεν ὑπερηφάνους διὰ ἐννοίας καρδίας [ἄλ. διανοίᾳ τῆς καρδίας] αὐτῶν· αὐτόν τε τὸν διάβολον διεσκόρπισεν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐκείνῳ στρατεύοντας δαίμονας. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ τῇ καρδίᾳ κυρίως ἦν ὑπερήφανος, ἐπειδὴ λέγειν ἐτόλμησεν· Ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ. Πῶς δὲ νῦν αὐτὸν διέσπασεν, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ὁ προφήτης ἐδήλωσεν, εἰπών· Νῦν δὲ εἰς ᾅδην καταβήσῃ [ἄλ. εἰς ᾅδου καταβιβασθήσῃ], καὶ πάντα τὰ στρατεύματά σου. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τοὺς βωμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰς τῶν ματαίων θεῶν λατρείας διεσκόρπισεν· καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαὸν