Saturday, February 22, 2025

Expositions of Luke 1:28 in "Homily 5 in Praise of St. Mary"

The following is from a disputed homily attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis, “Homily 5 in Praise of St. Mary.” While it is disputed, it does focus quite a bit on Luke 1:28, so it important to Mariology.

  

Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, τοῦ νοητοῦ ἀγκίστρου τὸ δέλεαρ· ἐν σοὶ γὰρ ἄγκιστρον ἡ θεότης. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη , ἡ νοερὰ τῆς δόξης κιβωτός· Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἡ στάμνος ἡ χρυσή, τὸ οὐράνιον ἔχουσα μάννα. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἡ τὴν γλυκεῖαν τῆς ἀεννάου πηγῆς τοὺς διψῶντας ἐμπλήσασα. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, νοερὰ θάλασσα, τὸν οὐράνιον ἔχουσα μαργαρίτην Χριστόν Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ λαμπρὸς οὐρανὸς, ἡ τὸν ἀχώρητον ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἔχουσα Θεόν. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἡ τὸν χερουβικὸν θρόνον τῆς θεότητος ἐξαστράπτουσα. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, κύκλον ἔχουσα οὐρανοῦ, καὶ Θεὸν ἀχώρητον, ἐν σοὶ δὲ χωρητὸν, καὶ ἀστενοχώ ρητον. Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, στυλοειδής νεφέλη, ἡ τὸν Θεὸν ἔχουσα, τὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸν λαὸν καθοδηγήσαντα. Τί εἶπω; καὶ τί λαλήσω; πῶς μακαρίσω τὴν ὁλόῤῥιζον δόξαν ; ὅτι χωρὶς Θεοῦ μόνου πάντων ἀνωτέρα ὑπάρχει. (PG 43:489, 492)

 

Rejoice, full of grace, the lure of the intelligible hook; for in you the hook is divinity.
Rejoice, full of grace, the spiritual ark of glory;
Rejoice, full of grace, the golden jar that holds the heavenly manna;
Rejoice, full of grace, the sweet essence of the everlasting fountain, having filled those who thirst;
Rejoice, full of grace, the spiritual sea that holds the heavenly pearl, Christ;
Rejoice, full of grace, the radiant heaven that holds the unapproachable God in the heavens;
Rejoice, full of grace, the one who dazzles the cherubic throne of divinity;
Rejoice, full of grace, possessing the vault of heaven and the unapproachable God—yet within you a capacity, an unconfined expanse;
Rejoice, full of grace, the column-like cloud who holds the God who guided the people in the wilderness.
What shall I say? And what shall I speak? How can I extol the all-rooted glory?
For apart from God alone, nothing exists as higher.

 

 

Χαΐρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ή πύλη των ούρανων, περί ης ό προφήτης κέκραγε λέγων· Ίδού ή πύλη κεκλεισμένη, καί ούδείς εισελεύσεται δι' αύτής, ούδλ εξελεύσεται, ει μη Κύριος ό θεός μόνος· καί έσται ή πύλη κεκλεισμένη τώ ήγουμένφ, διότι ηγούμενος αύτός κληθήσεται, καί είς αύ- τόν έλπιουσι πάντα τά έθνη. (PG 43:492)

 

Hail, full of grace, O gate of the heavens, concerning whom the prophet cried out, saying: “Behold, the gate is shut; no one enters through it nor goes out, except the Lord God alone; and it shall be the shut gate for the elect, for the one who is led shall be called, and in him all the nations shall hope”

 

 

Ὅθεν πρῶτον ὁ Γαβριὴλ τὴν Παρθένον ἀσπάζεται· Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ λαμπρὸς οὐρανός · χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ἢ τὸν ἐξαστράπτοντα ἐξ οὐρανοῦ λαμπραῖς λαμπάσιν ἀκτῖνα ἔχουσα ἥλιον τὸν Χριστόν. Σεραφεὶμ γέγονεν ἡ Παρθένος, ἡ πολυώνυμος, καὶ πολυόμματος, τῆς ἀκαταλήπτου θέας σκέπη τις νοερά, δι' οἰκουμενικοῦ σώματος εὑρεθεῖσα, τὰ χερουβείμ ὑπερβαίνουσα, Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ ἀποστρέφονται μὴ δυνάμενα ἀτενίσαι πρὸς νοητὸν πῦρ τῆς θεότητος. (PG 43:497)

 

From hence, first Gabriel greets the Virgin:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
Hail, full of grace, the radiant heaven;
Hail, full of grace, the one flashing forth from heaven with brilliant rays—the sun, Christ.”

 

The Virgin has become like the seraphim—she who is many-named and many-titled, a certain spiritual manifestation of the ineffable divine, having been discovered through the body of the world and transcending the cherubim; for they indeed shrink back, being unable to gaze upon the intelligible fire of divinity.”

 

 

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