In annuntiationem deiparae

On the Annunciation of the Theotokos, and against the impious Arius. On the previous Lord’s Day, the great Basil, the initiate and expounder of the Uncreated Trinity, the God-taught orator, the advocate of truth, the noble accuser of falsehood, who triumphed over the frenzy of Arian madness as was fitting, who spoke with his life before his tongue and cried out with his word together with his conduct, the most renowned ornament of this city, the star of the Church, who arrayed himself against the enemies of piety as a noble soldier against wolves, using his tongue as a sling against the impious, the sleepless guardian of this flock and the all-wise builder of this holy fold, called this orthodox Church a heavenly choir. And just as the dove of Noah kept the olive branch ever-green on its beak and brought it to us fruitful, so also he lent his tongue to the Spirit on the previous Lord’s Day and with his divine words shot down Arius, whose blasphemy was derived from the teaching of the devil. He showed the wolf in the midst of the sheep, concealed as a lamb by the fleece of Christianity; and stripping off his garment of hypocrisy, he pilloried him as a rapacious wolf, and stoned the beast, which was thought to be a sheep, with prophetic and apostolic words as with stones. And just as David, after felling Goliath, found that his sword served him for the slaughter of the enemy,

Thus also the new David of our battle line pierced Arius with the weapons of Arius. He set forth in discourse how God the Father was the timeless Father of the Word; how the Son is coeternal with the Father; how He is consubstantial, not of a different substance; how He is co-worker, not subordinate; how He is maker, not a thing made; how He is Lord, not a slave; how He is the radiance of the Father’s glory and the impress of His hypostasis; how “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”; how the Word became flesh without being changed, became flesh without being transformed, became flesh without being altered, and dwelt among us, having fashioned our nature for Himself as an inseparable tabernacle of His own divinity. Thus then this herald of truth proclaimed; for he had Christ himself speaking through him, while being blasphemed by the Arians. For this reason the angels invisibly praised him from heaven, as one who fittingly hymned on earth the consubstantial Trinity worshipped by them, and taught that it be glorified; while you below, leaping up with righteous applause, rejoiced, and proclaimed the imitator of the apostles worthy of the apostles, as one who poured forth from his tongue the blessed confession of Peter, as one who kindled on his lips the zeal of Paul; and you rightly called the Church blessed for possessing such a treasure; for it is indeed blessed to have such a treasure.

These things, then, happened on that day. But today I wish to open for you the forecourts of the incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, so that you may see how God the Word, being consubstantial with the Father, taking our substance, wished to become consubstantial also with the servants; how the lofty one bowed himself from heaven to our lowliness; how the rich one put on our poor firstfruits; how the one in need of nothing took what he had fashioned, though not needing it; how the creator embraced his own creation; how, remaining God, the lover of mankind became also man; how the Sun of righteousness, kindling in himself the lamp of the body, went about everywhere seeking the lost drachma; how the good shepherd, covering his own divinity with the sheep's skin, went around calling the wandering sheep to himself, and saying to each one, "I am the good shepherd." It is necessary for us also to speak of the voice of the holy Gospels proclaimed today in the churches: In the sixth month the archangel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, from the house and lineage of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. And the angel, entering to her, said: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

In the sixth month, when Zacharias had already been condemned to silence for his disbelief, when Elizabeth had already put forth the unexpected branch, when the Baptist John had already spent a six-month term in the prison of the womb, when the Forerunner had already been prepared in the places of barrenness, when the lamp was already shining in the dark places of the belly, the angel Gabriel was sent by the Sun of Justice. "Go," he says, "to the city of Galilee, Nazareth, to the virgin Mary, betrothed to the carpenter Joseph; for I, the carpenter of the whole creation, have betrothed this virgin for the salvation of men. Announce to her my untroubled presence to her, so that the virgin, receiving me without foreknowledge, may not be disturbed; teach her beforehand my love for humanity, on account of which I wish to come forth from her into the world as a man, so that, learning beforehand what is being arranged, she may not be amazed at what is being accomplished; proclaim the economy beforehand, so that, seeing the swelling of her womb suddenly rising, she may not be troubled. Now complete the journey on your course; for you will find me there where I now send you; I will anticipate you there while remaining here. I enter to her both before you and after you; you bring the good news of my arrival, and I, arriving invisibly, will seal your voice with deeds. For I wish to renew the race of men in the virginal womb; I wish, by condescension, to recast the image which I formed; I wish, by a new formation, to heal the ancient shaping. I formed the first man from virgin earth;

The devil, taking him as an enemy, dragged him down and cast him down, and when my image fell, he mocked it. Now I wish to set up for myself a new Adam from the virgin earth, so that nature may plead its case honorably on its own behalf, be lawfully crowned against the one who cast it down, and the enemy be justly put to shame. O boundless sea of condescension! O infinite height of divine love for humanity! The king did not send many angels or many forerunners; the creator did not set in motion the armies of the bodiless powers, but commanded only one angel to be the herald of his coming, so that through the instruction of the one he might secure beforehand the mother who was to receive him. So the angel came to the virgin Mary, and entering to her said, "Hail, full of grace." He addressed the fellow servant as a mistress, as one already become the mother of the Master. "Hail, full of grace. Your foremother Eve, having transgressed the law, received a sentence to bear children in pains; to you belongs the greeting of rejoicing. She bore Cain, giving birth to envy and murder; you will bear a son who provides life and incorruption to all. So rejoice and dance; rejoice and trample the serpent's head; Hail, full of grace. For the curse has ceased, corruption has been abolished, the gloomy things have withered, the bright things bloom, the ancient

the good proclaimed by the prophets. The Holy Spirit pointed to you, saying through the tongue of Isaiah: Behold, the virgin will conceive in her womb and bear a son. That virgin is you. Rejoice, then, O favored one; you have pleased the Creator, you have pleased the Maker, you have pleased the Founder, you have pleased him who delights in the beauties of souls; you have found a bridegroom who preserves your virginity, not one who destroys it; you have found a bridegroom who, out of great love for humanity, wishes to become your son. The Lord is with you, and in you is the one who is everywhere, and with you and from you; the Master is in heaven, the Highest is in the deep, the Creator is in all creation; the Founder is upon the Cherubim, the Charioteer upon the Seraphim, the Son is in the bosom of the Father, the Only-Begotten is in your bosom, the Lord, as he himself knows, wholly everywhere, wholly in you. Blessed are you among women, for you have now been chosen above all virgins together; for you have been deemed worthy to give hospitality to such a Master; for you have made room for the one who wished to be contained though he is uncontainable; for you have received the one who fills all things; for you have become the purest workshop of the divine economy; for you have appeared as a worthy vehicle for the entry of our king into life; for you have been revealed as the treasury of the spiritual pearl. Blessed are you among women.

Upon hearing these words, the all-holy virgin, beholding the angelic form and voice, reasoned within herself, saying: What kind of greeting might this be? What does this address intend? What do these words signify for me? An angel addressed me first—who am I, or of what worth am I? I, the favored one? From where, or why? The Lord is with me? For with whom among those who fear Him is the Lord not present? I, blessed among women? For what reason, or why, and how? What gift does this word proclaim? What wonder does this utterance foretell? As she was thus troubled, the angel, seeing her, said to her: Fear not, Mary; for I did not greet you to cause you distress, but I speak gently to you so that you may rejoice. Therefore, do not have turmoil in your soul, for you possess the peace of the world with yourself. Fear not, Mary; for you have found grace with God. You have been adorned beyond creation, you have been brightened beyond the heavens, you have shone beyond the sun, you have been exalted beyond the angels; you were not taken up into the heavens, but standing upon the earth, you drew the heavenly Master and King of all to yourself. And behold, you will conceive in your womb. The work has preceded my word; the mystical conception has occurred more swiftly than my voice; you have within your womb the Lord, the creator of all, painlessly building the temple of His holy flesh from your holy and pure flesh; you have within you the painter of nature, repainting His own image, grown old, with grace.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus; he will be great. For he is great in divinity, and he will be great also in humanity. And he will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. For he swore truth to David, and he will not break it. What truth did he swear to him? From the fruit of your loins, he says, I will place upon your throne. That oath reaches its fulfillment in the present time. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom. No one is higher than this king, and no one is more blessed than you who bear him. And Mary said to the angel: How will this be for me, since I know no man? Joseph is my betrothed, not my husband; for the marriage agreements have only proceeded as far as the betrothal; how then will the conception be for me without marriage? How will I produce fruit without a planter? Is the course of nature changed for me first? Is the law of childbirth rewritten for me first? For me

Is this only for me that a strange path of childbearing is found? Is it only for me that the ancient customs of generation are being innovated? Teach me clearly, O angel, the riddle of your words, explain to me the manner of your sayings, interpret for me the power of your good tidings, lead me by the hand to this strange childbirth, that I may learn little by little what mystery I am about to bring forth, that I may learn how the impossible will become possible, that I may learn how the unmanageable attains some management, that I may learn how the impassable has been able to find a way, that I may hear how grace innovates nature for the better, or how nature serves grace. And the angel, answering, said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you. You have learned the craftsman, do not busy yourself with the manner; you have learned the creator, do not busy yourself with the creation; you have heard about the Holy Spirit, so leave the work to that Spirit. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. This alone I was commanded to tell you, that you will bear a son; but how you will bear him, the one born of you will himself teach you clearly. I have brought the word as a servant; the Master himself will add the work, who also knows the manner; I am a courier of royal commands, not an interpreter of divine counsels; I dare not teach you what I have not learned, I dare not interpret what I have not received, I dare not publicize the matter of the mystery, I am not able to clarify the good news. I proclaim the wonder, but I am powerless to tell the manner.

I do not seek what surpasses all inquiry, I do not pursue what is incomprehensible, I do not pry into what is beyond me, I do not rationalize the grace beyond reason, I do not scrutinize the ineffable birth. Truly beyond mind is the spiritual conception, beyond reason the paradoxical pregnancy, and beyond narration the salvific childbirth. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The Holy Spirit knows what it works; the Son knows how he constructs for himself the spiritual dwelling. For the maker of nature does not serve the laws of nature; he alone holds the plan; he, as he wills, clothes himself in the form of a servant. The Father knows the incarnation of the only-begotten Son; for where the Holy Spirit is, there also is the Son, and where the Son is, there also is the Father. The Trinity is inseparable, the Trinity is undivided. For just as in the beginning, when fashioning man, the Father summoned the Son and the Spirit to the work, saying, "Let us make man according to our image and likeness," so also now, when the refashioning occurs, the Holy Trinity is again mysteriously present. For that which has one fashioning also has its refashioning in common. Therefore the one being born will be called holy Son of God. For this is truly a holy offspring, this a seedless shoot, this an all-holy conception. This one is the Son of God by reason of divinity, this one is also your Son by reason of humanity; this one is consubstantial with the Father according to the intelligible, this one is consubstantial with you according to the visible; this one is both heavenly and earthly; this one is both invisible and visible; this one is impassible in divinity, this one is also passible in humanity; and just as he is perfect God, so also is he perfect man, this Jesus.

Just as He, having become man, remained unchangeable God, so you, remaining a virgin, will become an undefiled mother. For neither will virginity war against the birth, nor does the birth take the field against virginity. Hymn, therefore, what has come to pass, and do not busy yourself with the gift; marvel at the great giver, and do not dispute against the grace; worship the mystery entrusted to you, and do not pry into the strangeness of the wonder. If you believe sincerely, He in whom you believe will illumine your soul; but if you investigate inquisitively, you will by no means find what you desire. Do you wish to learn? Learn the truth from a manifest sign of the wonder that concerns you. Do you wish to behold the image of the mystery of your own generation? Behold your neighbor and kinswoman Elizabeth. For behold, it says, Elizabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For no word is impossible with God. The barrenness of Elizabeth was loosed contrary to hope, so that the loosing of the passion might become a teacher of your virginity, which is not loosed. The barren and aged woman conceived the forerunner of the king who is to be born from you, so that you might believe that you have the Lord in your womb. Go, learn about Elizabeth; and if you do not find her as I have said, do not believe my proclamation. What then after these words did the holy Mary, the virgin in body and soul, the pious and reverent and obedient, the glory of human nature, the gate of our life, the mediator of our salvation?

Having received the angel’s word graciously, she says to him: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; may it be for me according to your word.” As a handmaid I lie before the master’s nod; as clay I lie under the potter’s hands; as the molder wishes with authority, let him work his will in me; as he wishes with benevolence, let him work the wondrous conception in me. “May it be for me according to your word; may these words of yours become for me things most manifest and true.” And the angel departed from her, the one who came down from heaven; he instructed, he prepared the virgin beforehand, he taught her as much as she could receive; and he himself heard from her what he was eager to learn; and again he went up whence he came down, leaving below the one who sent him, and again finding him above, worshipped in the heavens by the whole angelic host. What then do you say to these things, O Arius? Tell me, O wretched one, how was the uncontainable contained in a virgin’s womb? How did she, being a virgin, conceive, and again remain a virgin, and gain wealth from the Savior’s birth, and herself become enriched with grace? But you would not be able to say. For if the mother of the mystery did not comprehend the mystery which she bore, how will you be able to comprehend this? If Gabriel the archangel, when asked by the mother of the Lord, “How will this be for me, since I know no man,” could say nothing more, but took refuge in the Holy Spirit, being unable to declare anything stronger, how will you find words to say what Gabriel was unable to explain?

If no one can worthily describe even the fleshly birth of Christ, which occurred in the last days—that birth which is heavenly, timeless, incorporeal, invisible, impassible, and utterly ineffable and incomprehensible—how do you dare to meddle? Who gave you the seeds of such audacity? The angels ceaselessly worship the Holy Trinity, crying out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of His glory.” They do not say, as you say, “The Father is holier, as the elder”; they do not speak with diminished voices, “Holy is the Son, as the younger; holy is the Paraclete, as the lesser”; but they offer one and the same hymnody to the equal Trinity. Whence, then, have you alone, O Arius, learned to speak against creation against the Creator? But you set aside the testimony of the heavens and the angels. To whom, then, do you adhere? Tell me. Who pleases you as judge of this doctrine? Whom do you wish us to take as an impartial judge? Whose verdict on piety do you accept? Do you adhere to the Father, who knows His own Son better than all? Then let us hear Him crying out: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” If He says, “I and the Father are one,” listen to him; if He says, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me,” listen to him; if He says, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” listen to him; for the truth does not lie. If He says, “The Father who sent Me is greater than I,” then attribute the lesser not to the divinity of the speaker, but to His humanity. You have heard, Arius, the verdict of the Father.

Listen also to his only-begotten Son adding his vote to these words: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." The one who believes, not the one who says, "There was a time when he was not"; the one who believes, not the one who doubts. Why then, abandoning what it means to believe, do you attempt to insult, having the judge as your enemy? But you, Arius, driveler and deranged one, believe as you wish; for if you do not wish, wretch, to recognize what is beneficial, you babble against yourself. For you will not wrong the Son, and you will kindle the fire of Gehenna against your own head. But I, being instructed by the holy Scriptures, hymn the Father, who is always Father; I hymn the Son, who shone forth timelessly from the paternal substance; I hymn the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and reposes in the Son; I confess Christ, the same being perfect God and perfect man; I proclaim the high things of his divinity, and I am not ashamed of the lowly things of his humanity; but with the great and blessed apostle Peter I cry out to him, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God; and to you belong glory and honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages." Amen.