Eustathius of Antioch, Commentary on the Hexameron

seated in her paradise. she supplicated, saying to God: “O God of our fathers, bless me, and hear my prayer, just as you blessed the womb of Sarah, and gave to her a son, Isaac.” And saying these things, she looked up at the tree, and having seen a sparrow attending 773 to its young, groaning bitterly, and wailing she said: “Alas, Lord, that I am not even like these birds, which are fruitful!” And as she was crying these things to God, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and announced to her that she would bear a child. And she, having heard, immediately promised to dedicate to God the child to be born. And the angel also indicated such things to Joachim on the mountain. And Joachim, coming down from the mountain, offered a sacrifice of ten lambs to the Lord, and to the priests twelve calves, and to the council of elders and all the people one hundred goats. And having completed these sacrifices in the temple of God, he came to his house; and knowing his wife, he begat from her a daughter, and he calls her Mariam, whom, when she was three years old, they dedicated to the temple of God. And when she was twelve years old, the priests held a council, as to whom they should join her in marriage. And they instructed the high priest Zacharias, having entered into the Holy of Holies, to ask God to reveal to him to whom it was fitting for her to be joined. And as Zacharias was praying, an angel appeared and signified that all the widowers of the people should be gathered, and that each should hold a rod; and to whomever God should show a sign, to him he should join the virgin. And Zacharias, having gone out, did so, as the angel commanded him. And having taken all their rods, he went into the sanctuary and prayed, and coming out he distributed to each his own rod. But last, as he was giving the rod to Joseph, a great sign occurred. For suddenly, as he was receiving his rod from the priest, a dove flew out from the rod, and sat upon the head of Joseph; and the high priest and all the priests who were present, marveling at what happened, judged him to be the betrothed of the maiden, whom Joseph took and kept, and leaving her in his house he went away to complete his building works; for he was a carpenter by trade. And at that time it seemed good to the priests for a veil for the temple of God to be made by pure virgins, and seven virgins were found in the tribe of Judah. And Zacharias, remembering Mary, ordered that she also be present for the list; and having brought them into the house of God, he commanded to cast a lot, as to who should take the gold and the undefiled linen and the fine linen, and the silk, and the true purple, and the hyacinth, and the scarlet; and it fell to Mary to work the purple and the scarlet. And indeed while she was working at the house an angel appeared and announced to her the wondrous birth, as the Gospels relate. So then, having completed the work assigned to her, she gives it to the high priest, and having been blessed by him she departs; and after a time she gives birth to the Christ according to the flesh. And when the magi from the East had worshipped him as a king with gifts, Herod was troubled, and intended to destroy him immediately. But he was taken away by Joseph and Mary into Egypt, and escaped the 776 death from Herod. But he, not knowing of the flight, commanded that all the children in Bethlehem be slain; among whom he also was eager to kill John, who was still an infant. But Elizabeth, snatching him up, fled into the wilderness; and when she prayed, the mountain was split, and received her with the child, and an angel of God protected them. Herod therefore sends to Zacharias: Give up your son; where you have hidden him, tell me. But Zacharias writes back, saying to him: I, always attending at the altar, do not know what has become of my son. And being angered, the

παραδείσῳ αὐτῆς καθεσθεῖσα. ἱκέτευε λέγουσα τῷ Θεῷ· «Ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, εὐλόγησόν με, καὶ ἐπάκουσον τῆς δεήσεώς μου, καθὼς εὐλόγησας τὴν μήτραν Σάῤῥας, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῇ υἱὸν τὸν Ἰσαάκ.» Καὶ ταῦτα λέγουσα ἀφορᾷ εἰς τὸ δένδρον, καὶ θεασαμένη στρουθὸν τὰ νεοσσία ἑαυτοῦ πε 773 ριέποντα, πικρῶς στενάξασα, καὶ κωκύσασα εἶπε· «Ὦ δὴ, Κύριε, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῖς πετεινοῖς τούτοις ὡμοίωμαι γονίμοις ὑπάρχουσι!» Καὶ ταῦτα βοώσης αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπιφανεὶς αὐτῇ εὐαγγελίζεται αὐτῇ παιδοποιίαν. Ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα εὐθὺς τὸ γεννηθὲν ἀναθεῖναι τῷ Θεῷ ἐπηγγείλατο. Τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰωακεὶμ ὁ ἄγγελος ἐν τῷ ὄρει διεσήμανε. Καὶ καταβὰς Ἰωακεὶμ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους, δέκα ἀμνάδων θυσίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ προσήνεγκε, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι μόσχους δεκαδύο, καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ἑκατὸν χιμάρους. Καὶ ἐπιτελέσας τὰς θυσίας ταύτας ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀφικνεῖται εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· καὶ γνοὺς τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ, ποιεῖ ἐξ αὐτῆς θυγατέρα, καὶ ὀνομάζει αὐτὴν Μαριὰμ, ἥντινα τριετῆ γενομένην τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀφιέρωσαν. Γενομένης δὲ αὐτῆς δωδεκαετοῦς, οἱ ἱερεῖς συμβούλιον ἐποιήσαντο, τῶν τίνι αὐτὴν πρὸς γάμον συνάψωσι. Καὶ ἐπιτρέπουσι τὸν ἀρχιερέα Ζαχαρίαν, εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσελθόντα, αἰτήσασθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀποκαλύψαι αὐτῷ, τὸ τίνι προσήκει ζευχθῆναι αὐτήν. Καὶ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου εὐχομένου, ἄγγελος ἐπιφανεὶς σημαίνει πάντας συναγαγεῖ τοῦ λαῦ τοὺς χηρεύοντας, καὶ κατέχειν ἕκαστον ῥάβδον· καὶ ᾧ ἂν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδείξῃ σημεῖον, τούτῳ συνάψαι τὴν παρθένον. Ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ Ζαχαρίας ἐποίησεν οὕτως, καθὼς ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτῷ προσέταξε. Καὶ λαβὼν πάντων τὰς ῥάβδους αὐτῶν, ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, καὶ προσηύξατο, καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἑκάστῳ τὴν ἰδίαν ῥάβδον ἀπένειμε. Τελευταῖον δὲ ἐπιδιδοὺς τὴν ῥάβδον τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, σημεῖον μέγα ἐγένετο. Ἀθρόως γὰρ τὴν ῥάβδον αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ ἱερέως λαμβάνοντος, περιστερὰ ἐξέπτη ἀπὸ τῆς ῥάβδου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκαθέσθη τοῦ Ἰωσήφ· καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ συνόντες ἱερεῖς, θαυμάσαντες τὸ γεγονὸς, αὐτὸν γενέσθαι μνηστῆρα τῆς κόρης ἔκριναν, ἣν λαβὼν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐφύλασσε, καὶ καταλιπὼν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ἀφικνεῖται τὰς οἰκοδομὰς ἐκτελέσων· ἦν γὰρ τέκτων τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἔδοξε τοῖς ἱερεῦσι κατασκευασθῆναι ὑπὸ ἁγνῶν παρθένων τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπέτασμα, καὶ εὑρέθησαν ἐν τῇ φυλῇ Ἰούδα παρθένοι ἑπτά. Καὶ τῆς Μαρίας δὲ μνησθεὶς Ζαχαρίας, ἐκέλευσε καὶ αὐτὴν παρεῖναι εἰς τὸν κατάλογον· καὶ εἰσαγαγὼν αὐτὰς εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, κλῆρον βαλεῖν προσέταξε, ποίαν οἶσαι τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸ ἀμίαντον καὶ τὴν βύσσον, καὶ τὸ σηρικὸν, καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ πορφύραν, καὶ τὸν ὑάκινθον, καὶ τὸν κόκκον· καὶ ἐκληρώθη Μαρία τὴν πορφύραν καὶ τὸν κόκκον ἐργάζεσθαι. Καὶ δὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ οἴκου ἐργαζομένης αὐτῆς ἐπιφανεὶς ἄγγελος τὸν παράδοξον τόκον εὐαγγελίζεται αὐτῇ, καθὼς ἱστορεῖ τὰ Εὐαγγέλια. Τὸ γοῦν ὁρισθὲν αὐτῇ ἔργον ἐκτελέσασα, δίδωσι τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, καὶ εὐλογηθεῖσα παρ' αὐτοῦ ἄπεισι· καὶ μετὰ χρόνον τίκτει τὸν Χριστὸν κατὰ σάρκα. Καὶ τῶν μάγων ἀπὸ Ἀνατολῆς ὡς βασιλεῖ προσκυνησάντων μετὰ δώρων αὐτῷ, ὁ Ἡρώδης ἐταράχθη, καὶ διενοεῖτο ἀνελεῖν παραχρῆμα αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῆς Μαρίας εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπεκομίσθη, καὶ τὸν ἐξ 776 Ἡρώδου διέφυγε θάνατον. Αὐτὸς δὲ, ἀγνοήσας τὴν φυγὴν, πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ παιδία ἀναιρεθῆναι προσέταξεν· ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔτι νήπιον ὄντα ἀνελεῖν ἐσπούδαζεν. Ἡ δὲ Ἐλισάβετ, ἁρπάσασα αὐτὸν, εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἔφυγε· καὶ εὐξαμένης αὐτῆς, διεσχίσθη τὸ ὅρος, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ παιδίου αὐτὴν ἐδέξατο, καὶ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ διεφύλαττεν αὐτούς. Πέμπει γοῦν πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν ὁ Ἡρώδης· ∆ὸς τὸν υἱόν σου· ποῦ ἔκρυψας αὐτὸν, ἀπάγγειλόν μοι. Ὁ δὲ Ζαχαρίας ἀντεπιστέλλει φάσκων αὐτῷ· Ἐγὼ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσεδρεύων ἀεὶ, τί ἐγένετο ὁ υἱός μου οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι. Καὶ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ