Ignatius of Antioch — Epistle to the Ephesians 19
Mary's virginity and her giving birth escaped the notice of the ruler of this age (1 Corinthians 2:8), and so, likewise, did the death of the Lord: three mysteries of a shout, which were done in the silence of God.
How, then, was he revealed to the ages? A star blazed in heaven, brighter than all the stars. Its light was beyond words, and its newness was astonishing. All the other stars, with the sun and the moon, gathered as a chorus around that star, but its light outshone them all. And there was confusion: where had this new thing come from, so unlike them?
From then on all magic was coming undone, and every chain of wickedness was vanishing. Ignorance was being torn down. The old kingdom was falling to ruin, as God was being revealed in human form for the newness of eternal life. What had been made complete with God was taking its beginning. And so all things were shaken together, because the destruction of death was under way.
Greek
Καὶ ἔλαθεν τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ παρθενία Μαρίας καὶ ὁ τοκετὸς αὐτῆς, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ κυρίου: τρία μυστήρια κραυγῆς, ἅτινα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ θεοῦ ἐπράχθη.
πῶς οὖν ἐφανερώθη τοῖς αἰῶσιν; ἀστὴρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔλαμψεν ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ἀνεκλάλητον ἦν καὶ ξενισμὸν παρεῖχεν ἡ καινότης αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα ἄστρα ἅμα ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ χορὸς ἐγένετο τῷ ἀστέρι, αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑπερβάλλων τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ πάντα: ταραχή τε ἦν, πόθεν ἡ καινότης ἡ ἀνόμοιος αὐτοῖς.
ὅθεν ἐλύετο πᾶσα μαγεία καὶ πᾶς δεσμὸς ἠφανίζετο κακίας: ἄγνοια καθῃρεῖτο, παλαιὰ βασιλεία διεφθείρετο θεοῦ ἀνθρωπίνως φανερουμένου εἰς καινότητα ἀϊδίου ζωῆς: ἀρχὴν δὲ ἐλάμβανεν τὸ παρὰ θεῷ ἀπηρτισμένον. ἔνθεν τὰ πάντα συνεκινεῖτο διὰ τὸ μελετᾶσθαι θανάτου κατάλυσιν.