Thomas Arentzen, in his essay, “The Dialogue of Annunciation: Germanos of Constantinople versus Romanos the Melode,” discusses two texts:
The
sixth-century On the Annunciation by Romanos the Melode (ca. 490-560),
the most outstanding poet of the Constantinopolitan rite in Late Antiquity.
The
eight-century On the Annunciation by Germanos I (ca. 650-742), who led
the Church of Constantinople as patriarch between 713 and 730.
Commenting
on Mary’s dialogue with the angel Gabriel, we read:
As Gabriel enters the Virgin’s chamber
and opens the dialogue, according to Romanos, he says ‘Hail!’ The sixth-century
author displays to his listeners a very graceful encounter. Arriving at the
humble abode, Gabriel understands the that is about to meet a simple girl who
is also a very special maiden. Romanos’ description resonates with the
Annunciation mosaic in the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, which stems from the
same century: The Virgin appears as an elegant maiden dressed in purple. Is she
an elevated or a humble girl? The tension between simplicity and the imperial allusions
shimmers in the mosaic just as it does in Romanos, although there is less
purple in the kontakion. The Poreč stones let her cheeks blush as she moves a
finger towards her red lips. Their encounter swells with an understate sensual tension,
and her big eyes present a thoughtful gaze. In Romanos, she is shaken by
Gabriel’s ‘shining appearance’ and looks down and considers the beautiful
presence o this man in her house. ‘He both stirs (ταρεττει) me and spurs (θαρρυνει) me’, she thinks to herself. (Romanos, Annunciation
3) Gabriel reacts by gently blowing on her: ‘The fiery one breathed [upon her]
and burned up the timidity like hair’. ‘Do not get agitated (πτοηθης)’, he tells her. (Ibid., 4) One may detect a
subtle erotic tension in the room.
Gabriel does get
frustrated when she does not accept his message right away, but he treats her with dignity and respect.
The poet uses her critical enquiry, in turn, to present her wisdom and
insightfulness. But what really happened between the beautiful maiden and the
beautiful man never becomes clear. The Virgin’s own words comes closest to
conveying an answer, as she says, ‘his form (μορφη) filled the whole chamber, and me as well;
the doors were closed and he came to me.’ (Ibid., 16) After this she is pregnant.
In Germanos there is a very different
atmosphere and power dynamic: his Gabriel seems to be addressing someone who is
used to accepting these sorts of messages. It is as if Gabriel is granted audience
with an empress. He enters with a declaration; like a medieval herald, he promptly
presents his formal words from heaven; without further introduction, he says:
[Gabriel:] ‘Hear Glorified One; hear the
secret words of the Highest One: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Prepare yourself, then, for the coming
of Christ!’ (Germanos, Annunciation 4 [71-3])
It looks as if Gabriel is simply
giving Mary an order, and there is something almost pompous in his tone. At
least in the beginning, his appearance seems not to impress the empress. The most
striking aspect of her reply is her condescending attitude: who is he?
From the very outset the Virgin rejects Gabriel quite bluntly:
[Theotokos:] ‘Depart from my city and
native land, boy (ανθρωπε)! Depart and quickly leave my
chamber! Flee far from my threshold!’ (Germanos, Annunciation 4 [73])
The word ανθρωπος in its vocative case
was often used to address a slave or someone for whom the speaker had contempt.
(LSJ, s.v. ανθρωπος A, 6-7) Mary lectures Gabriel as if he were her slave. There is also,
of course, an irony here, of which the listener (but not the speaker herself)
is aware: Gabriel is not actually human, but an angel. But as we see, however,
she acts almost aggressively towards him. In her next line she says:
[Theotokos:] ‘Young man (νεανισκε), I see the outstanding
beauty of your elegant form and the splendid sight of your figure [. . . ] and
I am rapidly beginning to suspect that you have come to lead me astray.’ (Germanos,
Annunciation 4 [73])
Here is a handsome young servant who attempts to seduce the queen with
his beauty. The word νεανισκος in the vocative can, just like ανθρωπος, be used to address a slave. (LSJ s.v. νεανισκος 2) The Theotokos does
not leave the reader in doubt; she uses this very word four times in the
dialogue. About herself, on the other hand, she said ‘I bear a royal appearance
(χαρακτηρα βασιλικον) and I grew up in the place (τα βασιλεια).’ (Germanos, Annunciation 4 [89])
While Gabriel keeps
insisting that he actually has something important to say, she continues
to reject him. He now suggests
that ‘perhaps . . . the purple robe which you are wearing foretells (προμηνυει) the royal rank’ of the child? But she replies
drily, sarcastically, with a pun on the Greek words: ‘Since you “reveal” (μηνυεις) this to me—and do not cease “revealing” (μηνυων)—I can tell you right away that I do not
believe such glad tidings form you’. (Ibid., 4 [75]) Gabriel has a challenging task
in many versions of the annunciation narrative, but he would probably count Germanos’
version among his most difficult. . . . Mary blames Gabriel for jeopardizing
her reputation and her relationship with Joseph. (Germanos, Annunciation
4 [75] et passim) Gabriel may be an angel for all she cares, but she wants him
to leave: ‘Take gifts from me and depart from me!’ she says. Ibid., 4 [79])
He, however, continues bluntly and almost tactlessly to try to persuade her:
[Gabriel:] ‘I am puzzled, Glorified
One, that you still doubt me, I who have come to you from such heights’.
(Ibid., 4 [83])
She replies wryly:
[Theotokos:] ‘The puzzle is your “glad
tidings” . . . You came into my chamber unannounced and drew near to me (πλησιασας μοι), perhaps
viewing me as a single girl (παιδισκην) and not as a lady (δεσποιναν).’. (Ibid., 4 [83])
Mary’s iconic tone and her choices of words here suggest that she feels
abused. That he ‘drew near (πλησιασας)’, as she says, may be taken to connote a sexual
advance. The word παιδισκη does not only mean a girl, but can also be used to signify a slave-girl
or a prostitute. The imperial ruler has not been treated with due respect.
Hence Gabriel is only worthy of sarcasm. (Thomas
Arentzen, “The Dialogue of Annunciation: Germanos of Constantinople versus Romanos
the Melode,” in The Reception of the Virgin in Byzantium: Marian Narratives
in Texts and Images, ed. Thomas Arentzen and Mary B. Cunningham [Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2019], 160-62, 163, emphasis in bold added)
