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Homilia in laudes Mariae deiparae

Of our Father among the saints Epiphanius, bishop of the city of Constantia, of the island of Cyprus, an encomium on the holy Theotokos.

The brilliant gleams of the Theotokos, her fearsome rays and incomprehensible powers, the mystery of heaven and the inhabited earth, a wonder, a mercy seat, 43.488 having expressed, I, wretched one, the thought leaping up within my heart toward a more exact understanding of deep memory, and attempting to bear the wonder of the most high contemplation, much and terrible trembling and fear seized me, O beloved. For the memory of the awesome contemplation, having made my soul terrified and my heart full of dread, has not moderately punished, but powerfully tormented me. For the memory of the greatest contemplation rebukes my mind, as of an incomprehensible mystery, not having the strength to speak. For who is able to express such a mystery? What mouth can utter it, or what tongue will speak? It is hidden, it has not the strength to speak. But now I will dare to speak concerning the only Theotokos, according to what I comprehend; and again I am afraid.

I do not have a tongue to speak worthily of things exceedingly great. For I am of a weak voice and slow of speech, and not eloquent, so to speak, concerning the renowned and holy and ever-virgin and God-bearing Mary, mother of the Lord; concerning whom the tongue of men will not easily speak. For the tongue has a weak voice before her, and draws back, not being able to speak worthily. For she astonished even the powers of heaven; all were amazed: angels, archangels, principalities, powers, thrones, dominions, the cherubim and the seraphim and every host of angels, being seized with terrible fear and trembling. For they beheld on earth in her the one in heaven, and they shuddered. They looked upon the Virgin, heaven and throne, and were seized with fear, beholding the beginningless one seated from a cherubic throne into a virginal womb. O blessed root; from whence did it sprout? Concerning her the prophet Isaiah chirps like a swallow, crying out with a fiery tongue: A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall spring up from the root, and the Spirit of the fear of God shall rest upon it. And from the root of Jesse is David the king, and from the tribe of David the king is the holy Virgin, the holy daughter of holy men, whose parents were Joachim and Anna, who in their life were well-pleasing to God, who also brought forth such a fruit, the holy Virgin Mary, at once temple of God and mother; And Joachim and Anna and Mary, the three clearly ministered to the Trinity. For Joachim is interpreted "preparation of the Lord"; for from him was prepared the temple of the Lord, the Virgin. And Anna, again, similarly is interpreted "grace"; for Joachim and Anna received grace, that through prayer they might bring forth such a fruit, having acquired the holy Virgin. For Joachim prayed on the mountain, and Anna in her garden. And Anna, having conceived, gave birth to a heaven and a cherubic throne, the holy maiden Mary. For she is found to be heaven and temple and throne. For Mary is interpreted "lady", but also "hope". For she gave birth to the Lord, the hope of the whole 43.489 world, Christ. Again Mary is interpreted, "myrrh of the sea"; and it will say myrrh, which I also affirm, concerning immortality, because she was about to give birth to the immortal pearl in the sea, that is, in the world. And it will call the whole world the sea, to which the Virgin gave calmness, having given birth to the harbor, Christ.

Therefore, again, the blessed name of the venerable maiden Mary is interpreted, "she who is enlightened," who was enlightened by the Son of God, and enlightened those who have believed in the Trinity to the ends of the earth. For the holy Theotokos maiden is the bride of the Trinity

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Homilia in laudes Mariae deiparae

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου πόλεως Κωνσταντίας, τῆς Κυπριωνήσου, ἐγκώμιος εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν τὴν Θεοτόκον.

Τὰς ἐκλαμπούσας μαρμαρυγὰς τῆς Θεοτόκου ἀκτῖνας φοβερὰς καὶ ἀκαταλήπτους δυνάμεις, οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς οἰκουμένης μυστήριον, θαῦμα, ἱλαστήριον 43.488 φράσας ὁ τάλας ἐγὼ, εἰς ἀκριβεστέραν ἔννοιαν ὁ τῆς καρδίας μου ἔνδον σκιρτήσας λογισμὸς βαθείας μνήμης, καὶ ὑψηλοτάτης θεωρίας πειρώμενος φέρειν τὸ θαῦμα, τρόμος καὶ φόβος πολὺς καὶ δεινὸς συνέσχε με, ὦ ἀγαπητοί. Ἡ γὰρ μνήμη τῆς φρικτῆς θεωρίας, ἔντρομον τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ φρικώδη τὴν καρδίαν ἐνέγκασα οὐ μετρίως ἐτιμώρησεν, ἀλλὰ δυνατῶς ἐβασάνισεν. Ἐπιπλήττει γάρ μου τὸν νοῦν, τῆς μεγίστης θεωρίας ἡ μνήμη, ὡς ἀκαταλήπτου μυστηρίου, τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ἰσχύουσα. Τίς γὰρ ἱκανὸς τοιοῦτο φράσαι μυστήριον; ποῖον δὲ φθέγξασθαι στόμα, ἢ ποία γλῶσσα λαλήσει; Λέληθεν, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἰσχύει. Νῦν δὲ τολμήσω περὶ τῆς μόνης Θεοτόκου καθ' ὃ καταλαμβάνω· καὶ πάλιν φοβοῦμαι.

Οὐκ ἔχω γλῶτταν ἀξίως εἰπεῖν τὰ λίαν μεγάλα. Ἰσχνόφωνος γὰρ καὶ βραδύγλωσσος, καὶ οὐκ εὔλαλος ὑπάρχω, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, περὶ τῆς μεγαλωνύμου καὶ ὁσίας καὶ ἀπειρογάμου καὶ θεοτόκου Μαρίας, μητρὸς τοῦ Κυρίου· περὶ ἧς οὐκ εὐμαρῶς ἀνθρώπων γλῶττα λαλήσει. Ἰσχνοφωνεῖ γὰρ πρὸς ταύτην, καὶ ὑποστέλλεται ἡ γλῶσσα, οὐκ ἀξίως ἔχουσα τὸ λέγειν. Αὕτη γὰρ καὶ τὰς τῶν οὐρανῶν δυνάμεις ἐξένισεν· ἐξέστησαν πάντες ἄγγελοι, ἀρχάγγελοι, ἀρχαὶ, ἐξουσίαι, θρόνοι, κυριότητες, τὰ χερουβεὶμ καὶ τὰ σεραφεὶμ καὶ πᾶσα στρατιὰ ἀγγέλων φόβῳ καὶ τρόμῳ δεινῷ συσχεθέντες. Ἐθεώρησαν γὰρ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐν αὐτῇ τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ἔφριττον. Ἔβλεπον τὴν Παρθένον, οὐρανὸν καὶ θρόνον, καὶ συνείχοντο φόβῳ, θεωροῦσαι τὸν ἄναρχον ἀπὸ θρόνου χερουβικοῦ εἰς μήτραν παρθενικὴν καθίσαντα. Ὢ μακαρία ῥίζα· πόθεν ταύτην ἐβλάστησε; Περὶ ταύτης ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας ὡς χελιδὼν κελαδεῖ, τῇ πυρίνῳ γλώττῃ βοῶν· Ἀναστήσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται, καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτὴν Πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ. Ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης δὲ Ἰεσσαὶ ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς ∆αβὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ ἁγία Παρθένος, ἡ ὁσία τῶν ὁσίων ἀνδρῶν θυγάτηρ, ἧς οἱ γονεῖς Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ Ἄννα, οἵτινες ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησαν, οἳ καὶ καρπὸν τοιοῦτον ἐβλάστησαν, τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον Μαρίαν, ναὸν Θεοῦ ὁμοῦ καὶ μητέρα· Ἰωακεὶμ δὲ καὶ Ἄννα καὶ Μαρία, οἱ τρεῖς τῇ Τριάδι σαφῶς ἐλειτούργησαν. Ἰωακεὶμ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἑτοιμασία Κυρίου· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἡτοιμάσθη ναὸς Κυρίου ἡ Παρθένος. Ἄννα δὲ πάλιν ὁμοίως χάρις ἑρμηνεύεται· χάριν γὰρ ἔλαβεν Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ Ἄννα, ἵνα τοιοῦτον βλαστήσωσι καρπὸν διὰ προσευχῆς, τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον κτησάμενοι. Ἰωακεὶμ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ὄρει προσηύχετο, καὶ Ἄννα ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ αὐτῆς. Κυοφορήσασα δὲ Ἄννα, οὐρανὸν καὶ θρόνον χερουβικὸν ἔτεκε, τὴν ἁγίαν κόρην Μαρίαν. Αὕτη γὰρ οὐρανὸς καὶ ναὸς καὶ θρόνος εὑρίσκεται. Ἡ γὰρ Μαρία ἑρμηνεύεται κυρία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλπίς. Κύριον γὰρ ἔτεκε, τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ παντὸς 43.489 κόσμου Χριστόν. Ἑρμηνεύεται πάλιν τὸ Μαρία, σμύρνα θαλάσσης· σμύρναν δὲ ἐρεῖ, ὃ καὶ φημὶ, περὶ ἀθανασίας, ὅτι ἤμελλε τὸν ἀθάνατον μαργαρίτην τίκτειν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. Θάλασσαν δὲ ἐρεῖ τὸν ἅπαντα κόσμον, ᾧ ἡ Παρθένος γαλήνην ἐδωρήσατο, τὸν λιμένα τεκοῦσα Χριστόν.

Τοιγαροῦν πάλιν τῆς σεμνῆς κόρης Μαρίας ἑρμηνεύεται τὸ μακάριον ὄνομα, φωτιζομένη, ἥτις ἐφωτίσθη παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐφώτισε τοὺς πιστεύσαντας εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς τῇ Τριάδι. Τριάδος γὰρ νύμφη ὑπάρχει ἡ ἁγία Θεοτόκος κόρη