By St. Nicholas Cabasilas
1.
If there is ever a time when a man should rejoice, exult, and cry out
with gladness, when he should go off and search for what great and
brilliant statements he might utter, when he should wish to be
vouchsafed sublimity of ideas, beauty of diction, and powerful oratory, I
see no other occasion than this day, on which an Angel came to earth
from Heaven bearing every good tiding. Today Heaven is exalted; today
the earth is resplendent; today all of creation rejoices, and He Who
holds Heaven in His hands is not absent from the Feast, either. Rather,
the present celebration is in very truth a festival: all things are
gathered together in a single act of rejoicing—the Creator, all of His
creatures, and the Mother of the Creator herself, who made Him a
partaker of our nature and of our liturgical synaxes and feasts. For He,
being our Benefactor from the beginning of creation, and making this
His own proper activity (never being in need of anything from anyone),
to bestow gifts and to do good, and knowing only such things as these,
on this day both does those same things and assumes a secondary place
and stands in solidarity with the recipients of His benefactions.
Bestowing some things on the creation from Himself, and receiving other
things from it, He rejoices not so much in giving great gifts, since He
is munificent, as in receiving small gifts from those to whom He has
done good, since He loves mankind. He obtains honor not only from what
He has laid down for His poor servants, but also from what He has
received from us paupers.
For, although He chose to empty
Himself1 and took our poverty upon Himself, yet in accordance with His
judgments, as recipient, He used the gift that He received from us for
His own adornment and majesty.2 What greater occasion for delight could
there be for the creation—by which I mean both the visible creation and
that which transcends our eyes—when it beholds its own Maker in its
midst and the Master of all among the ranks of His servants, not
divesting Himself of His Lordship, but assuming the form of a servant;
not throwing away His wealth, but imparting it to the poor; and not
falling away from the summit of His eminence, but elevating the lowly?
She who is the cause of all these things for us all rejoices, on the one
hand, at sharing, for her part, in the common goods, in that she
belongs to the order of creation; and she rejoices, on the other hand,
that she shares in these goods before all and most of all, and that
through her all of these goods were bestowed on everyone; and fifthly,
and most importantly of all, she rejoices because not only did God bring
about resurrection for mankind through her, but she also brought it
about herself, through the things that she knew and foreknew.
2.
For the Virgin was not like the earth, which contributed to the
creation of man but did not bring it about, but merely offered itself as
matter to the Creator and was only acted upon and did not do anything.
But those things which drew the Artificer Himself to earth and which
moved His creative hand did she provide from within herself, being the
author thereof. What were these things? A blameless life, an utterly
pure way of life, the rejection of all evil, the practice of every
virtue, a soul purer than light, a body that was entirely spiritual,
brighter than the sun, purer than Heaven, and more sacred than the
Cherubic thrones; a mind furnished with wings that was not daunted by
any height; a longing for God, which had absorbed the entire appetitive
faculty of the soul into itself; possession by God, a union with God
inconceivable to any created intellect. Having trained both body and
soul to receive such beauty, she turned the gaze of God towards herself,
and by her own beauty rendered our common nature beautiful and won over
the Impassible One; and He Who was despised by men on account of their
sin became man because of the Virgin.
3.
The “middle wall and barrier of enmity”3 were of no account to her;
indeed, everything that divided the human race from God was abolished as
far as she was concerned. Even before the common reconciliation, she
alone had made peace with God; or rather, she was never in any need of
reconciliation, since from the very beginning she stood foremost in the
choir of the friends of God. However, such a reconciliation was made for
the rest of mankind. And she was, before the Comforter, “an advocate
for us before God,”4 as Paul puts it, not lifting up her hands to Him on
behalf of mankind, but holding out her life as an olive branch. The
virtue of a single soul was sufficient to put a stop to all of the evil
committed by men from the beginning of time. And, just as the Ark, which
saved man during the general shipwreck of the inhabited earth, was not
itself subject to the calamities that befell the entire world, and just
as it preserved for the human race the resources for its continuation,
so also did it happen in the case of the Virgin. And, as if no man had
dared to commit even one single sin, but all had abided by the Divine
commandments and were still occupying their ancient habitation,5 thus
did she ever keep her mind inviolate; and she had no awareness of the
wickedness that had, so to speak, been diffused in every direction. The
cataclysm of evil, which held all things in its grip, closed Heaven and
opened up Hades, started a war between God and men, drove the Good One
from the earth and introduced the Evil One in His stead, was yet
completely powerless against the blessed Virgin; although evil had
dominion over the entire inhabited earth and had everywhere wrought
confusion, commotion, and havoc, it was defeated by a single thought and
a single soul, and it yielded not only to her, but also, on account of
her, to the entire human race.
This was the contribution that
the Virgin made to the common salvation of mankind, even before that day
arrived on which God was to bow the Heavens and descend.6 As soon as
she was born, she constructed a dwelling-place for Him Who is able to
save and fashioned a beautiful house for God—and one that would be
worthy of Him. The King could not find any fault with His palace; and
indeed, not only did she provide a dwelling fit for His royal majesty,
but she also prepared from herself His purple robe7 and cincture, and
the majesty, strength, and the Kingdom itself;8 just as an illustrious
city that surpasses all other cities in size, beauty, wisdom,
population, wealth, and all its resources, is able not only to offer a
welcome and hospitality to the King, but also to establish, adorn,
strengthen, and arm his royal authority, and in this way to inflict
inevitable woe upon his enemies, but to confer salvation and an
abundance of all good things upon his friends.
4.
Thus did the Virgin benefit the human race before the time came for our
common salvation. But since that time had now come and the Angelic
messenger was at hand, she believed, gave her consent, and undertook her
ministry. These things were indispensable and in every way necessary
for our salvation; without them, there would have been no hope for
humanity. For, neither would it have been possible, had the Blessed
Virgin not prepared herself, as I said, for God to look kindly on
mankind and to desire to descend to earth, that is, had there not been
someone to receive Him, someone capable of serving Him in the œconomy of
salvation; nor would it have been possible, had she not believed and
given her consent, for God’s will for us to have been realized. This is
evident from the fact that Gabriel, in addressing the Virgin and calling
her “Full of Grace,” expressed everything pertaining to the mystery.
God did not descend until the Virgin sought to learn the manner of her
conceiving. But when He saw that she was persuaded and that she accepted
the invitation, the deed was accomplished straightway; and God clothed
Himself in humanity and the Virgin became the Mother of her Creator. In
the case of Adam, God neither foretold nor persuaded him concerning the
rib from which Eve was to be fashioned, but put him to sleep, and in
this way deprived him of the member in question; in the case of the
Virgin, however, He first instructed her and awaited her assurance
before proceeding to the deed. Regarding the creation of Adam, He
conversed with His Only-Begotten Son, saying: “Let Us make man.”9 But
when, as Paul says, He was going to bring this wonderful Counselor,10
the First-Begotten, into the world,11 and to form the second Adam, He
made the Virgin a participant in his decision. And this great counsel,
about which Isaiah speaks,12 God proclaimed and the Virgin ratified. The
Incarnation of the Word was the work not only of the Father, Whose good
pleasure it was, and of His Power,13 Who overshadowed, and of His
Spirit, Who descended, but also of the will and faith of the Virgin.
For, just as, without those Three, it would have been impossible for
this decision14 to be implemented, so also, if the All-Pure One had not
offered her will and faith, this design could not possibly have been
brought to fruition.
5.
Having in this way taught and persuaded her, God made her His Mother
and borrowed flesh from her with her knowledge and consent, in order
that, just as He was conceived voluntarily, it might equally come about
for His Mother that she should conceive voluntarily and become His
Mother willingly and by her own free decision; and so that, even more
importantly, she might not simply contribute to the Œconomy of the
Incarnation as one who had been conscripted like some puppet, but might
herself offer her own self and become a fellow-worker with God in His
Providence for the human race and, thereby, be made a partaker and
sharer with Him of the glory deriving therefrom; and so that,
furthermore, just as the Savior Himself became man and the Son of man
not only for the sake of the flesh, but also had a soul, a mind, and a
will, and everything else that is human, He might in the same way obtain
a perfect Mother who would minister to His Nativity not only through
the nature of her body, but also through her mind, her will, and all
that she possessed, and that the Virgin might thus be His Mother in both
flesh and soul and might endow the ineffable birthgiving with human
nature in its totality.15
For this reason, before placing
herself at the service of the mystery, she learns about it, believes in
it, consents to it, and prays for its fulfillment. Moreover, God wished
to show the virtue of the Virgin, how great was her faith in Him, and
what great courage of soul she had, and all her prudence and greatness
of soul, in accepting and believing the most paradoxical words of the
Angel, that God would truly come in person and provide for our
salvation, and that she would coöperate with this work and prove capable
of serving it. The latter is manifest proof that the Virgin was fully
aware of that which is greatest of all, that than which no one could
wish anything greater;16 the former is sufficient evidence that she had
clear knowledge of God’s goodness and love for mankind, for which reason
it seems to me that she was not initiated into this mystery directly by
God—although this mode of learning would have befitted her more than
any celestial spirit—, in order that the faith which she had concerning
God might be clearly shown to be hers, lest the whole matter be imputed
to the power of God that persuaded her. For, just as those of the
faithful who have not seen are more blessed than those who have seen,17
so also those who are persuaded by servants of the Master are more
prudent than those whom God Himself has persuaded. But the fact that she
was conscious that there was nothing in her soul that was inconsonant
with the mystery, and that her character was in such harmony with it
that no mention was made of any human weakness in her case; and also the
fact that it was not because she harbored any doubts that she inquired
how this would come to pass, that she did not talk about what was
conducive to her purification, and that she did not need anyone to
explain the mystery to her—I do not know whether this is something
appropriate to ascribe to a created nature.
For, even if she had been a
Cherub or a Seraph, or some other creature much purer than these Angelic
beings, how could she have endured these words? How could she have
supposed that she would be able to fulfill these promises? How could she
have furnished strength that would be commensurate with the magnitude
of the work? John, “a greater” than whom, according to the judgment of
the Savior Himself, “there hath not risen,”18 did not consider himself
worthy even to touch His shoes, and that, when the Lord was leading a
life of poverty.19 The All-Blameless Virgin was bold enough to carry in
her womb the Word Himself, the very Hypostasis of God. “Who am I, and
what is the house of my father?”20 “Even in me, O Lord, shalt Thou save
Israel?”21 Such things are to be heard from righteous men who were
called to perform deeds accomplished by many persons and at many times.
But the Blessed Virgin was induced to undertake something unwonted and
in no way congruent with human nature, something surpassing all rational
understanding—for what else was she doing than elevating the earth to
Heaven and through herself changing and transforming all things?—; and
she was not shaken in her mind, nor did she perceive her soul to be
inferior to this task. But, just as we are not at all bothered if
someone tells us that light is going to strike our eyes, and it is not
strange for someone to state that when the sun rises it brings day, so
also the Virgin, on learning that she would be capable of conceiving and
bearing God Himself, Who is not contained in any place, was not at all
surprised.22 And she did not leave the words addressed to her
unexamined, nor did she experience any light-mindedness, nor was she
carried away by the great loftiness of the Angelic laudation, but she
restrained herself and focused her attention on the salutation; she
inquired into the manner of her conceiving and sought to learn about
other matters related to this. She did not go on to ask whether she was
adequate and suited to the great magnitude of this ministry, or whether
she had properly purified her body and her soul; rather, concerning what
pertained to nature, she was puzzled, whereas she passed over what
pertained to the readiness of her soul. She requested an explanation of
the former from Gabriel, but the latter she knew from herself. She had
confidence and boldness before God from within, as John says, since her
heart was an advocate for her.23
6.
“How shall this be?”24 she asks. “Not because I still need further
purification or greater virtue, but because it is a law of nature that
those who have vowed, as I have, to live in virginity should not be able
to conceive.” “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”25 “I am
ready to receive God and am sufficiently prepared; but pray teach me
whether nature will comply.” And indeed, after Gabriel had proclaimed
the manner of this strange pregnancy—“The Holy Spirit shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”26—and had
recounted other such things, the Virgin was no longer in any doubt about
the glad tidings; for she was blessed, on the one hand, on account of
the very sublime mysteries of which she was a minister, and, on the
other hand, on account of her belief that she was capable of undertaking
this ministry.
That this reaction was not the
result of light-mindedness on her part, but an indication, rather, of
the wondrous and ineffable treasury of the most perfect wisdom, faith,
and purity that existed within her, was revealed by the Holy Spirit when
He called her blessed, since she had accepted the message of the Angel
and had easily been persuaded by the good news. For the mother of John,
filled with the Holy Spirit, called her blessed: “Blessed is she that
believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were
told her from the Lord.”27 “Behold the handmaid of the Lord,”28 replied
the Virgin. Deservedly was she called the handmaid of the Lord, for she
recognized the homecoming of the Lord, and, as Scripture says,
immediately opened her house to “Him Who came and knocked”29 and truly
provided a dwelling for Him Who had thitherto been homeless.30
Indeed,
for Adam alone, for whose sake the visible universe had been fashioned,
no help mate was found before Eve,31 whereas all other creatures had
what they needed; but for the Word, Who had brought all things into
being and had allotted suitable locations for each creature, there was
no house or place before the Virgin. However, she “gave no sleep to her
eyes, nor slumber to her eyelids”32 until she found a tabernacle and a
place for Him. We must consider these words, uttered by the tongue of
David, as belonging to the All-Pure One, since he was the father of her
line, just as Levi, when he “was yet in the loins of his father...paid
tithes”33 to Melchisedek in the person of Abraham.” But the greatest and
most sublime thing of all is that, while she had not previously been
told anything about this mystery and had no prior knowledge of it, she
was so ready and suitable for it, and that when God suddenly arrived,
she received Him with proper steadfastness, preparation, and vigilance
of soul.
7.
And she responded with these words, which were fitting and appropriate
for her, so that all men might know what prudence there was in the
Blessed Virgin, how she was a new creation and superior to human nature,
transcending the comprehension of every mind; for she kindled such
wondrous love for God in her soul, not because the things that were
going to happen to her, of which she alone was to partake, had
previously been announced to her, but because of those common gifts,
which either had been or would be Divinely bestowed on mankind. For Job
is admired, not so much because he patiently endured after being smitten
by plagues as because he endured these calamities, not knowing what
recompense he would receive for his struggles; in just the same way, the
Virgin showed herself worthy of the Grace that surpasses human reason,
of which she had no knowledge. She was a bridal chamber with no
expectation of a bridegroom, and she was a heaven, although she did not
know that the Sun would dawn from her.
What could there be to match
this prudence? And what would she have been, if she had known everything
clearly beforehand and had had the wings that derive from hope? Why,
then, was she not informed of this previously? It is clear that there
was no point to which she had to progress, since she did not lack any
sublimity of holiness; neither was there anything that she had to add to
what she already possessed, nor was it possible for her to become
greater in virtue, since she had attained to the very pinnacle of
sanctity. For, if this were possible, and there were some height of
virtue beyond what she had already attained, she would not have been
ignorant of it, since it was for this very reason that she came into
existence, and God would have taught her to make up for what was lacking
and to prepare herself better to serve the mystery. For, neither is it
possible to say that the Virgin would not have had a greater aptitude
for virtue on the basis of these hopes, if it had, in fact, been at all
possible that she might have become better than she actually was, she
who, even without any incentives to virtue, trained her soul so well
that she was preferred by God the Judge to all of humanity; nor was it
fitting for God not to adorn His own Mother with all good things or form
her in the best, most beautiful, and perfect way possible.
8.
But since God remained silent and did not foretell to her anything that
was going to happen, He clearly showed that He did not know anything
more beautiful or greater than that which He perceived in the Virgin;
from this fact it is evident that He did not choose for His Mother the
best of all those in existence, but her who was absolutely the best; nor
did He choose her who was more suitable for Him than anyone else in the
human race, but her who so totally suited Him, that it was fitting that
she become His Mother. Indeed, it was absolutely necessary for human
nature at some time to make itself fit for the task for which it was
created at the beginning, that is, to bring forth someone capable of
worthily serving the purpose of the Creator. For God did not create
humanity with one purpose in mind, only to decide later on to use it for
a different purpose, in the way that we take tools designed for one
pursuit and misuse them for another, so that there is no need for them
always to be congruent with their original function. Rather, He created
mankind with this end in view, that, when He needed to be born, He might
take from it a Mother. Having first established this need as a kind 11
of standard, He then fashioned man in accordance with it. For, neither
should we posit any other end for the creation of man than that which is
the most excellent of all and which brings the greatest honor and glory
to the Artificer, nor is it conceivable that God should in any way fail
in creating the things that He creates. After all, builders of houses
and manufacturers of clothing and footwear are able to ensure that their
product is always in conformity with its end, although they do not have
complete control over their materials and the latter do not always
coöperate with them but, on the contrary, sometimes put up opposition to
them; even so, by virtue of their skill, these craftsmen succeed in
drawing the materials towards their purpose. But God has sovereignty
over matter, and in the beginning He created it according to His
pleasure, knowing how He would use it.
What, therefore, was there to
prevent human nature from being in conformity, and in every way in
agreement and harmony, with the purpose for which it was created? For it
is God Who governs His Œconomy, and this Œconomy is the greatest work
of God and par excellence the work of His hands; and He did not entrust
the matter to the ministry of any human being or Angel, but reserved it
for Himself. Therefore, whom, if not God, does it behoove, when
producing anything whatsoever, to observe the requisite standards? And
in the case of what else than the most beautiful of His works? On what
else, of all things, if not on Himself, would God confer what is
appropriate? After all, Paul required that a Bishop “rule well himself
and his own house”34 before caring for the common good.
9.
So be it. When, therefore, all of these factors came together at the
same juncture—the most just Ruler of the world, the most suitable
minister of His Œconomy, and the most beautiful of all of the works of
the Creator from all eternity—, how could everything appropriate not
have been present in that place? Complete harmony and agreement had to
be preserved, and nothing could happen that would be discordant with
this great and wondrous undertaking. Therefore, since it behooves God,
Who weighs all things with a balance,35 to be just and to create all
things in a fitting manner, in response to this, the Virgin, who was in
every way suited to the task, bore Him and became the Mother of Him
Whose Mother it was fitting that she be. Hence, if nothing else were to
be gained from God becoming the Son of man, we are entitled to say that
the Incarnation of the Word had nonetheless to come about, since it was
entirely fitting that the Virgin become the Mother of God, and that the
fact that God was bound to render unto every creature that which was
proper to it, that is, to act in accordance with justice, was a
sufficient reason for the renewal of natures.36
For,
if the All-Blameless Virgin upheld all of her obligations to God, and
proved to be so prudent that she did not neglect even one of the virtues
that she was obligated to possess, how would it have been possible for
God not to comport Himself with equal justice? And if nothing conducive
to her becoming the Mother of God eluded the Virgin, and she had such an
intense yearning for God, it would scarcely have behooved God not to
accord her the commensurate recompense of becoming her Son. And if God
gives rulers to the wicked according to their hearts’ desire, how could
He not have taken for His Mother her who proved to be truly in accord in
every respect with His own heart? So entirely proper and appropriate to
the Blessed Virgin was this gift. Therefore, when Gabriel clearly said
that she would bear God Himself, and that “He shall reign over the house
of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end,”37she
joyfully received the news as if she had learned something unexceptional
and not at all at odds or discrepant with the normal course of events.
And so it was that with a blessed tongue, an unperturbed soul, and
thoughts full of tranquillity she said: “Behold the handmaid of the
Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”38
10.
These were the words that she said, and they were fulfilled at once:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”;39 and, after giving
her reply to God, she received the Spirit that created from her that
flesh which was one with God. Her voice was a “mighty voice,” as David
puts it;40 and the Word of the Father is
formed
by the word of a mother, and the Creator is created by the voice of a
creature. And just as when God said, “Let there be light,” “at once
there was light,”41 so, as soon as the Virgin spoke, the true Light
dawned; and He Who “lighteth every man that cometh into the world”42 was
joined to the flesh and carried in the womb. O sacred voice! O words of
great power! O blessed tongue, which restored the entire inhabited
earth in one fell swoop! O treasury of a heart which, by a few words,
poured out upon us an abundance of good things! These words made the
earth Heaven, emptied Hades of its prisoners, caused Heaven to be
inhabited by men, joined Angels with men, and formed the Heavenly and
earthly races into a single chorus around Him who is both, being God but
becoming man.
What
gratitude could we express to you for these words? What should we call
you, of whom nothing human is worthy? Our words derive from existing
things, whereas you surpass the whole world beyond every sublimity. If
words are to be offered to you, this, I ween, is a task for Angels, for a
Cherubic mind, for a fiery tongue. Hence, having mentioned, as far as
we are able, those things which redound to your praise, and having
chanted hymns to you, our salvation, to the best of our ability, we ask
next for an Angelic voice. We will conclude with the salutation of
Gabriel, adorning the sum of our oration with this additament: “Rejoice,
thou who art full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.”43 May you prepare
us to make a habitation for Him within ourselves, for this is conducive
to His glory and to the laudation of you who gave birth to Him, when we
not only talk about it, but also put it into practice, for unto Him
belongs glory unto the ages. Amen.
Source: Translated from the Greek text in “Homélies Mariales Byzantines (II),” ed. M. Jugie, in Patrologia Orientalis,
Vol. XIX, ed. R. Graffin and F. Nau (Paris: FirminDidot, 1920), pp.
484-495. This is a fresh and precise translation of a Byzantine
theological text that is, as the late Professor Panagiotes Nellas, one
of the foremost interpreters in recent times of the theology of St.
Nicholas Cabasilas, notes, “especially beautiful, but also exceptionally
difficult” (Ἡ Θεομήτωρ [The Mother of God], ed. and trans. [into modern Greek] by Panagiotes Nellas, in Epi tas Pegas [Athens: Apostolike Diakonia, 1974], 2nd ed., Vol. II, p. 38).
Notes:
1 Philippians 2:7.
2 Citing the following words from St. Nicholas’ celebrated treatise, The Life in Christ, “Jesus, being of twofold nature, in accordance with His humanity which He shares with us honoured the Father and wove for Him that wondrous crown of glory from His Body and Blood” (Book IV, §5, trans. Carmino J. de-Catanzaro [Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1974], p. 120), Nellas astutely remarks that if God had simply bestowed salvation on mankind, He would have shown Himself to be merely “munificent” (φιλότιμος). However, by virtue of His act of “self-emptying” (κένωσις) at the Incarnation, He demonstrated that He was “philanthropic,” that is, “He Who loves mankind” (φιλάνθρωπος). In this way, He not only called man to coöperate in the work of salvation, but also manifested the greatness both of mankind and of His love for mankind, which is not simply pity or charity, but rather, friendship (φιλία) (Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p. 121). Cf. “Henceforth I call you not servants...but I have called you friends” (St. John 15:15).
3 Ephesians 2:14.
4 Cf. Romans 8:34.
5 According to Nellas, in this context “the ancient habitation” (ἡ ἀρχαία ἑστία) refers to Paradise (Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p. 127).
6 I.e., in accordance with His preëternal counsel (Nellas, Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p.129).
7 This purple robe is understood by the Fathers to denote Christ’s human flesh; see St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John, Bk III, ch. 5, Patrologia Græca, Vol. LXXIII, col. 484B.
8 Cf. Psalm 92:1, Septuaginta.
9 Genesis 1:26; cf. St. John Chrysostomos: “Who is this to Whom God says, ‘Let Us make man’? Who, other than the Angel of great counsel, the wonderful Counselor...the Only-Begotten Son of God...through Whom all things were brought into being” (“Homily VIII on Genesis,” Patrologia Græca, Vol. LIII, col. 72).
10 Isaiah 9:6.
11 Hebrews 1:6.
12 Isaiah 9:6.
13 I Corinthians 1:24.
14 I.e., Concerning the Incarnation of the Word.
15 Cf. St. Gregory the Theologian: “What is unassumed is unhealed” (Epistle 101, “To Cledonios,” Patrologia Græca, Vol. XXXVII, col. 181C).
16 Cabasilas does not specify precisely what he means by “that which is greatest of all,” but it seems likely that he is alluding, here, to the Incarnation of the Word.
17 Cf. St. John 20:29.
18 St. Matthew 11:11.
19 According to Nellas, this refers to the poverty of the human nature which the Word assumed at the Incarnation (Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p. 139).
20 II Kings 7:18.
21 Cf. Judges 6:36.
22 “The Virgin is not surprised, because, as the enlightened human being that she is, she knows that man’s purpose is to be united with God. How, then, would she be surprised when she sees the fulfillment of something that constitutes the purpose of her existence?” (Nellas, Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, pp. 140-141).
23 Cf. I St. John 3:21.
24 St. Luke 1:34.
25 Ibid.
26 St. Luke 1:35.
27 St. Luke 1:45.
28 St. Luke 1:38.
29 Cf. Revelation 3:20.
30 “After the Fall and before the Virgin came into existence, God was ‘homeless’ [ἄοικος] (which means ‘without a hearth,’ one who has no family or fatherland) and that it was precisely the Virgin who prepares a place and a dwelling for Him, that is, introduces Him into the human family” (Nellas, Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p. 128).
31 Genesis 2:20.
32 Psalm 131:4, Septuaginta.
33 Hebrews 7:9-10.
34 Cf. I St. Timothy 3:4. The point of this allusion is that the Bishop is an Icon of God. Hence, if a Bishop must be able to manage his own affairs, the same principle must, a fortiori, apply to God (Nellas, Ἡ Θεομήτωρ, p. 155).
35 Cf. Ecclesiasticus 28:25.
36 Cf. the Heirmos of the Ninth Ode of the Great Canon: “Conception without seed; Nativity past understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; childbearing undefiled; for the birth of God reneweth natures; wherefore, all generations magnify thee in Orthodox manner as Mother and Bride of God.”
37 St. Luke 1:33.
38 St. Luke 1:38.
39 St. John 1:14.
40 Psalm 67:34, Septuaginta.
41 Genesis 1:3.
42 St. John 1:9.
43 St. Luke 1:28.
