Saint Epifanios
Wishing to speak, wretch that I am, about the blinding radiance of the Mother of God, her dread and inconceivable powers, the mystery of the heavens and the world, the wonder, the mercy seat, and attempting to refer to the sublime vision and to the miracle in detail, moved to do so by the leaping of my heart, I was seized with great terror and fear. Because the recollection of the dread vision concerning the person of the Mother of God, having filled my soul with terror and brought fear to my heart, did not merely punish me a little, but tormented me greatly. My memory of the very great vision castigates my mind because it does not have the power to speak, since I am dealing with an inconceivable mystery. Who is able to refer to such a mystery?
What mouth and what tongue will speak of it? It flounders and cannot utter speech. Now I shall try to refer to the Mother of God as far as I can. And I am greatly afraid, because I do not have the language to describe these very great and sublime things. Because, like Moses, I am not eloquent and am slow of speech, nor am I an orator to say words befitting the magnificent and blessed and virgin Mother of God, Mary, the Mother of the Lord, concerning whom it is difficult for human tongue to speak. It is weak and hesitant because it has no words appropriate for her. She astonished even the heavenly powers. The Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Thrones, Dominions, the Cherubim and Seraphim were all dumbfounded. All the ranks of Angels were filled with great fear and trembling.
They saw on earth, within her, Him Who is in the heavens, and were thrown into confusion. They saw the Virgin as heaven and as a throne, and were filled with fear, because they saw Him Who is without beginning, Who sits upon the cherubic throne, lying within the Virgin’s womb. O blessed root! Where did she spring from? Concerning her, the Prophet Isaiah cried in his ardent language: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Is. 11, 1-2). From this root, that is from the lineage of Jesse, came King David, and from his tribe came the holy Virgin, the blessed child of blessed progenitors.
Her parents, Joachim and Anna, who pleased God with the manner in which they lived their lives, brought into the world the Virgin Mary, the Temple and Mother of God. Joachim, Anna and Mary all served the Holy Trinity. Joachim means “preparation of the Lord” because from him the Virgin, the Temple of the Lord, was prepared. Anna means “grace” because Joachim and Anna received the grace to give birth to the holy Virgin after they had prayed. Joachim prayed on the mountain and Anna did so in her garden.
After her pregnancy with her holy daughter Mary, Anna gave birth to the heavens and the cherubic throne, because she is Heaven and the Temple and the Throne. Mary means “lady” and also “hope”, because she gave birth to Christ, the Hope of all the world. It also means “myrrh of the sea”, while myrrh (σμύρνα) is another name for immortality, because she was to give birth to the immortal Pearl in the sea, that is, in the world. “Sea” is the name given to the whole world, to which the Virgin gave tranquillity, since she gave birth to the Harbour, that is Christ.
The blessed name of the chaste maiden Mary also means “Enlightened” because she was enlightened by the Son of God, and enlightened as many of those, everywhere on earth, who believed in the Trinity. Because the holy Mother of God, Mary, is the Bride of the Trinity, the treasure of the entire world; who cannot be described; whom Gabriel addressed by saying: “Hail, you who are full of grace, the Lord be with you”[1]. After Gabriel’s salutation, the Father sent the Holy Spirit from heaven as her betrothed. He joined the Virgin with his Only-Begotten Son, as a celestial bride, whom the Father loved, the Son dwelt in and the Holy Spirit desired.
Because she is both bride and bridal chamber and from her will come Christ the Bridegroom. She is the virginal raiment, according to the words of the Prophet David: “In the sun he has set his tabernacle; and he comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber” (Ps. 18, 5). O the desire for purity of the Bridegroom. He has His own handmaiden as Bride and Mother. Gabriel hastened and arranged the marriage of the Virgin, uniting the incense of the earth and the heavens, as the prophets had proclaimed and clearly set out the manner of the marriage. How is the Virgin, at one and the same time, the celestial Bride and Mother, who received the Holy Spirit as a gift before her wedding, and the heavens and paradise as her dowry?
The Virgin wished to become acquainted with Him Whom she desired and said: “Where is the Bridegroom Whose beauty I desire, which is brighter than the radiance of the sun and the glory of which is beyond description? Where is the eternal Light which I desire with great longing? Where is the Sun Who is seeking a sun-beam? Where is the harp of the cherubim? Where is Christ [the object of the] unsleeping gaze of the seraphim? Where is the worship of the angels, as manifested by Gabriel? Where is the unique and Only-Begotten Son of the Father, Whom I desired and loved and Whom, having sought Him, embraced?”.
Gabriel said to her: “Hail, you who are full of grace, the boundless joy of the Holy Virgin. Hail, you who are full of grace, who are adorned with many virtues. Virgin, who, like a candle, hold the inextinguishable Light which is more effulgent than the sun. Hail, you who are full of grace, the bait on the spiritual hook. Because for you the hook is the Divinity. Hail, you who are full of grace, the spiritual ark of glory. Hail, you who are full of grace, who are the golden vessel where you have the manna from heaven. Hail, you who are full of grace, who, as a sweet, ever-flowing spring, satisfy the thirsty. Hail, you who are full of grace, the spiritual sea, who have the celestial Pearl, Christ.
Hail, you who are full of grace, the bright sky who have within you God, Whom the heavens cannot accommodate. Hail, you who are full of grace, who illumine the cherubic throne of the Godhead with your radiance. Hail, you who are full of grace, who are the spiritual heavens and effortlessly accommodate within you God, Who is beyond accommodation. Hail, you who are full of grace, the pillar of cloud, who have within you God Who led the people of Israel in the desert.
What can I say? How can I sing the praises of her who has been so highly praised. Because after God she is superior to all else. She is more beautiful than the cherubim and seraphim and than all the angelic powers, so much so that no celestial, human or angelic tongue can hymn her. Because the very angels themselves did, indeed, offer her hymns, praise, honour and glory, but were unable to do so as she warranted. The angels rejoiced when God alone was superior to them, but the holy Virgin became superior to them because she gave birth on earth to the God of heaven, and, in doing so, attracted the ranks of the angels to the earth. Because she became the means by which the earth was joined to the heavens.
O blessed Virgin, pure dove, celestial Bride, Mary, who are the Heavens, the Temple and the Throne of the Divinity; you have Christ Who is the bright Sun in the heavens and on earth; you are the cloud of light who brought Christ into the world, as blinding lightning. You are the celestial cloud, who concealed within yourself the thunder of the Holy Spirit and brought it down to earth. You brought the torrential rain of the Holy Spirit to the whole world, so that faith could bear fruit. Hail, you who are full of grace, the gate of the heavens, about whom the Prophet said: “This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it, for the Lord God of Israel will enter by it” (Ez. 44, 2).
[1] This is sometimes translated, wrongly, as “The Lord is with you”. It is a greeting and therefore expressed in the optative/subjunctive mood. Similar wishes are “The Lord be praised” and “Glory be to the Lord”. This is not merely a linguistic quibble. At the Annunciation, Gabriel first says “The Lord be with you” and only after that does the Holy Spirit descend and actually is with the Mother of God.
In the Song of Songs, again referring to this gate, the prophet says quite clearly: “My sister spouse is an enclosed garden; a garden enclosed and a fountain sealed” (4, 12). The holy and blessed lady, Mary, remained a virgin, the cloud of light, who held God the Word within her and to whom the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in a voice of thunder: “Behold, the Lord sits on a swift cloud and shall come to Egypt” (19, 1). You are the unhewn mountain, from whom was cut the Rock, that is Christ, concerning Whom the most wise Daniel remarks: “A stone was cut out of a mountain without hands” (Dan. 2, 45), meaning that, without the intervention of a man, the Virgin gave birth to Christ Who is the firm Rock. You are the temple that has the celestial rock, Christ, the thunderous cloud, who, in your womb held lightning.
Holy Scripture concurs with this when it says: “Your stomach is a mound of wheat set about with lilies” (Song of Songs, 7, 3). You are the unsown field who received the word as a seed of wheat and yielded a whole sheaf. You are the spiritual furnace, who have within you the fire and the bread of life, that is, Christ. You are the blessed Mother of the Saviour, who gave birth to the incarnate Word of the Father, concerning whom Isaiah said: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb and shall bring forth a son and you shall call him Emmanuel” (7, 14).
O holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord! Blessed Bride, who are inseparable from the Trinity. You are more blessed than all other women, because you suckled Him Who sustains the universe. You are the blessed Mother of God, Holy Virgin, who now have borne Him Who once created Adam in paradise.
You are the Mother of God, because you bore the incarnate Word. You are the Mother of God, who became pregnant with the Word of God in the form of a human person. You are the Mother of God because you admitted the Divine Word, Whom you bore with human flesh. You are the Mother of God, who alone bore the Only-Begotten Son of God, not a fleeting God, but He Who is eternal, Who was here before you and is the God of all things, Christ. You are the heifer who was never yoked and gave birth to the Calf, Christ. You are the spiritual table of faith, who has offered to the world the Bread of Life.
What can I say? How can I praise her who has been so greatly glorified? Through the prophet, God says of this blessed and ever-virgin lady: “Out of you, one shall come forth to me to be a ruler of Israel. And his dealings were from the beginning, from eternity. Therefore he will give them until the time of her who is in labour. She will give birth and the remainder of the brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And the Lord will stand and see and shepherd his flock in power” (Mic. 5, 2-3). O holy Virgin, who are the mother of the eternal Light. Of the Light Who illumined the ranks of the angels in the heavens, of the Light Who illumined the indescribable gaze of the seraphim.
Of the Light Who outshone the sun. Of the Light Who illumined the ends of the end with the Holy Trinity. The Light Who said: “I am the light of the world”. “I have come to illumine the world”. Of the Light Who ascended and illumined all things in heaven and on earth. O Most Holy Lady, who astonished the ranks of the angels. Because, in the heavens it was thought to be a strange wonder for a woman to hold the Light in her arms. A strange wonder for the heavens that there should be another cherubic throne. A strange wonder for the heavens that the Son of this woman should be the Father of all the ages. A strange wonder for the heavens that the womb of the Virgin should hold the Son of God, God the Bridegroom, Christ. A strange wonder for the heavens that the child of the Virgin should be the Lord of the angels. O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Saviour, you who bore the Word without beginning Who sits on the throne with the Father and the Spirit, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Hail, Most Holy Virgin, who as the spiritual bush, holds the fire of the Godhead but does not burn. You are she who brought into the world the bread of life, about which Christ, the Saviour of the world, says: “Take. Eat. This is my body which was broken for you for the remission of sins”. Beloved, the virginal table is rich, full of virtues, which she has given to the world for our enjoyment. This is the blessed Virgin and Mother of Christ, who held the bright candlestick, which shines on the heavens and on earth. About her, the prophet Zachariah said: “Behold, a candlestick, all gold, and its bowl above it” (Zach. 4, 2). And about her, David also sang the melodic hymn: “Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths” (Ps. 118, 105).
O Virginal Candlestick, who disperse the darkness and illumine with your light. O Virginal Candlestick, who have brought fire and oil together for illumination. O Virginal Candlestick, who took from the heavenly throne, the eternal, consubstantial, threefold unified Fire of Light and illumined the whole world with It. O Virginal Candlestick, about whom God speaks through the mouth of the prophet: “There I will cause a horn to spring up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed (Ps. 131, 17). You are the royal crown with the precious pearl, Christ. You are the royal dye, who have clothed the body of the King of heaven and earth in purple raiment. You are the all-pure faith of the Christians, the book beyond comprehension, who made the Son and Word of the Father known to the world.
You are blessed among women, because you gave birth to the incarnate Word, the Son of the Father, the pre-eternal God, without beginning or end, Who is worshipped together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Word Who sits upon the same throne as the Father and the Holy Spirit and Who is glorified by the angels, the dominions and principalities, whom He created. The Word Who spread out the heavens and established the earth. The Word, the true God, Jesus Christ, our Lord, whom you bore, Most Holy Virgin and after doing so remained a virgin. You gave birth to the Pearl, and wove the royal garland, blessed Virgin, who bore the celestial glory and filled the world with the fragrance of the multitude of flowers of paradise. The Virgin is the pure lily who bore Christ; she is the rose which does not fade, the vine of truth, laden with fruit and untouched in her virginity, and who, even though uncultivated, is yet heavy with grapes, produced by the mature Vine, that is Christ.
Tell us convincingly how you gave birth, Most Holy Virgin. How did you become the Mother of God on earth when you had accepted the pre-eternal God?
“I, the virgin, who bore Him in my womb, remained incorrupt, and I became the pure Temple of the Word of God, Who dwelt within me though I had no experience of marriage. I bore Emmanuel in my incorrupt and spotless womb, as it were on the throne of the cherubim, and there the Word of the Father took flesh. By divine dispensation, He Who was both without beginning and unseeable became visible, the incarnate God. Though I had no knowledge of a man, I gave birth to the pre-eternal God, Jesus Christ. And now, after birth, I am still a virgin and more pure than before. I gave birth without the pains that every other woman experiences, because what happened to me was not the same. People did not understand my pregnancy; only God, Who dwelt within me, did”.
O Virgin, precious treasure of the Church, which calls you both priest and altar, who have upon you, as a table, the celestial Bread of Christ, Whom you offer to us for remission of sins. O pure womb, who accommodated within you God Who is beyond accommodation. O womb, broader than the heavens, who did not restrict God, Who was within you. O womb, boundless as heaven and greater than it. O womb, more sublime and broad than seven heavens. O womb, who are the eighth heaven, more sublime than the whole of the heavenly firmament. O womb, who have the eternal light of the whole of grace.
What else can I say about the blessed and holy Virgin? Aspiration urges me to speak of the Mother of God, but fear makes me keep silence, because I have nothing worthy to say of her. My mind challenges me and my fear repulses me; one attracts, the other fends off. Since I am pressed by both, it is better that I speak of the magnificent and blessed Virgin. I call her Heaven, Throne and Cross: because she held out her crossed arms and held the Lord and Master, like the cherubic throne in heaven. Gazing into the heavens through holy scripture, I see the angels bowing down before her.
First, Gabriel greets the Virgin, saying: “Hail, you who are full of grace, the Lord be with you”. Hail, you who are full of grace, who hold Christ the sun, Who shines from the heavens with His bright rays. The Virgin has become a seraph, with many names and many eyes, which have seen a sight beyond our conception. Like a spiritual canopy she spreads her body over the whole world, surpassing the cherubim. They turn away their faces, unable to look at the spiritual fire of the Divinity, but she fixes her wide-open eyes on the ineffable and unsleeping gaze of Christ, Whom she welcomed with desire and love. The ranks of angels bow down before the Saviour, but are unable to look at or touch Him; the Mother of God, however, welcomed the Inconceivable One, kissing Him. O Virgin, you bore the miracle of an incomprehensible mystery and you preached to the world the faith it so desperately desired.
The Virgin became higher than the angels, more sublime than the Cherubim and Seraphim, pleasing to Christ the King, as a worthy handmaiden and Mother who was honoured by God. Unblemished Holy Mother, who gave birth to Christ Who existed before you and Who said, “I existed before Abraham”. You glorified the cave and honoured the manger. Because the Virgin, the cave and the manger, like the heavens, held God Who cannot be contained; all three served the Holy Trinity.
When the Virgin gave birth, without pangs, in the cave, to the Lord of heaven and earth and laid Him in the manger, then the orders of the angels surrounded her and sang: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill among people”. And the shepherds, watching their flocks by night, heard this doxology of the angels for the Saviour and went on foot to bow before the Light, gazing upon a strange wonder, the handmaiden of the Lord and earthly Virgin as the celestial Bride. Because she appeared in the cave as a Bride, and bridal chamber and Mother of God when she gave birth to Christ as an infant, in accordance with the prophetic voice of Isaiah: “For a child has been born to us, and a son given to us, and his authority is on his shoulder and his name shall be called the messenger of great counsel, wonderful, counsellor, mighty one, potentate, prince of peace, and father of the age to come” (Is. 9, 6).
After the shepherds, the magi, whose way from the East had been lit by a bright star which guided them, came and bowed down before Him Who had been born in Bethlehem. As soon as they arrived in Jerusalem, the star disappeared from their sight. Since they were worried because they had lost their guide, they were obliged to ask the inhabitants of the city to tell them where Christ had been born. All of them considered it a strange wonder. When Herod heard of this, he was greatly disturbed and, summoning the priests, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They had no qualms about answering him and confessed, without lying, since they could not hide the rays of the Sun, and explained the revelation of the Father which the prophet clarified, saying that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, are few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; out of you will come to me one who will be the ruler of Israel” (Mic. 5, 2). Woe to you, disobedient Israel! You received the law and rejected the Lawgiver. They explained where the Christ was to be born, but then denied Him when He actually came into the world.
So what happened to the magi? Their minds were in turmoil and their hearts filled with sorrow. Their sighs were like violent waves breaking over a ship, their eyes watered the ground with tears, they felt unbearable sadness, looking for the guide they had had when they set out from the East and which they now had lost. Where had that star which had been guiding them gone? In what manner was it hiding from them? Learn the truth and look at the wonder and its meaning. The reason why it was hidden from them was so that they should ask the unbelieving priests to manifest to all the mystery of heaven and earth.
Then, when everyone had learned this, the star appeared again to the magi, until it came and stood over the Infant in the cave, or, rather, in the heavens. Because where Christ is, there are the heavens and the cave became heaven on earth. When they saw the star, or rather the Saviour, they were overjoyed, bowed down and worshipped him and offered their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold for the King, frankincense for God and myrrh for a mortal. They wished to announce in advance the burial of Christ, the Creator and Maker of all, Who was born to the celestial Bride, Mary, the Heavens, Temple and Throne of the Godhead, the indescribable treasure of heaven. Of old, the angels blamed Eve, but now they glorify Mary, who elevated the weakness of the feminine nature, who restored Eve who had fallen into disobedience.
She sent to the heavens Adam, who had been exiled from paradise. She opened up paradise, which had been closed and, through the robber, brought Adam back into it. O Holy Virgin, you have abolished the enmity between humans and God, breaking down the wall which separated them. You became the reason for the world to be given heavenly peace, for the ends of the earth to be illumined, for people to become angels and for them to be called servants, friends and children of God. You became the cause of our knowledge of the heavens and the reason why praise is returned from earth to the heavens. You became the cause of our boldness towards God in the highest. You became the cause for the Cross to shine throughout the world, the cross on which your Infant, Christ our God, was hanged. You became the cause for death to be trampled underfoot and for hell to be emptied, the idols to fall and for knowledge of the heavens to prevail. All-Holy Virgin, you became the cause of our knowledge of the Only-Begotten Son of God, to Whom you gave birth, our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom all things, angels and humans, worship saying: “Father without beginning, Son without beginning, Spirit without beginning”, glorifying the undivided and consubstantial Trinity to the ages of ages. Amen.
