The Virtue of Hannah and the Second Marriage
With oversight, saying to those present and signifying the symbols of the Lord. Anna saw the child, gifts and pure things being offered for him and with him, and she did not pay attention to the smallness of his age; Anna confessed the child as God, a physician, a strong redeemer, an abolisher of sins.
Do not merely run through Anna's words. Signifying the energy of the Lord to all those present, she said to those gathered: Do you not see this child drawing the mass, borrowing the breast, resting in maternal wombs, not yet accepting to tread the earth with his feet? Do you not see this child? This one founded the ages, this one arched the heavens, this one spread out the earth, this one carved the sea with sand. This child casts winds from his treasuries, this child opened the floodgates of the deluge upon Noah, this child works the columns of rain, this child shakes a snow like wool, this child freed our forefathers from the land of Egypt through the Mosaic staff, this child brought up the Red Sea and led them through as if through a lush field, and in the desert bequeathed the manna, a land flowing with milk and honey; this child prepared this temple to be raised on high through the fathers, this child, setting an oath to Abraham, said: 'Multiplying, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand by the seashore' (Gen 22:17). Concerning this child, the prophetic choir, offering encouragement, said: 'Awaken your power and come to save us.' No, because he is a child, do not stumble at the child.
The same is both child and co-ruler with the Father, the same is counted together with the ages, the same is unbegotten, the same is a child chirping, the same grants mouth and wisdom; for the one is so through the birth from the virgin, and the other is so through the incomprehensibility of His existence. Since Isaiah also presented this to you, saying: 'A child was born...' (Isa 9:6).
It was ours, a son, and it was given to us. That which was born, and that which was given; the one through what is seen, the other through what is understood. These are the prophecies of Hannah, these the praises of the woman, these the achievements of the widow—the true widow, having exchanged her life well, having sent forth her husband and having received the Lord.
She lived with her husband for seven years, having fulfilled a week of years from her virginity, and in the seventh year having ceased the manly intercourse. She well observed the Sabbath, and well took hold of the Lord's day of grace. Hannah came in the order of a harvest; she did not make a forgetting of her husband, she did not reject the first faith, she did not bring an insolent man to her bed, she did not yield the wood of monogamy to another. She kept in her bed the memory, as if the dead man were living; she did not defile the bridal shroud, nor did the reproach of Paul touch her, saying: 'But when they have become faithless to Christ, they wish to marry, having a judgment that they rejected the first faith' (1 Timothy 5:14). Truly, such a judgment is worthy of her who buried the memory with her God-wedded husband, and especially in the presence of a child or children, for this reason also the law of marriage is fruit-bearing; if, however, there is no child present to the new widow, it is likely that she is driven toward a second marriage by the passion of motherly love. Since even this, the blessed Paul has cried out advising: 'I wish younger widows to marry' (1 Timothy 5:14); then, showing what the symbol of the progress of a second marriage is, he added saying: 'I wish younger widows to marry, to bear children, to rule households' (1 Timothy 5:14). Thus, regarding child-rearing is the addition of the second marriage; when, however, there are children present to the new widow rushing toward marriage, such a seed is superfluous of the logical ears of grain being cut down.
Again, therefore, let us return to the word: what then is the evangelist? For it is good to take hold of the whole matter. You have heard recently the evangelist Luke saying how Simeon said to the virgin: 'Behold, this is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign opposed, and a sword will pierce even your own soul' (Luke 2:34-35). What is it: 'And a sword will pierce even your own soul'?
Greek
ἐπιστασίᾳ, λέγουσα πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας καὶ τὰ σύμβολα τοῦ κυρίου μηνύουσα. Βρέφος ἑώρα ἡ Ἄννα τὸν κύριον, δῶρα καὶ καθάρσια ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ προσφερόμενα, καὶ οὐ προσέκοψε τῇ ἐλαχιστότητι τῆς ἡλικίας· θεὸν ὡμολόγησεν τὸ βρέφος ἡ Ἄννα, ἰατρόν, λυτρωτὴν ἰσχυρόν, ἁμαρτιῶν ἀναιρέτην. Μὴ ἁπλῶς παραδράμῃς τῆς Ἄννης τὰ ῥήματα. Πᾶσι τοῖς παροῦσι μηνύουσα τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἐνέργειαν ἔλεγεν πρὸς τοὺς συνηθροισμένους· Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο τὸ μαζὸν ἕλκον, τὸ θηλὴν δανειζόμενον, τὸ μητρῴοις κόλποις προσαναπαυόμε νον, τὸ ποσὶ τὴν γῆν βηματίσαι τέως μὴ καταδεχόμενον, τὸ ὀκταήμερον περιτεμνόμενον; Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο; Τοῦτο τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐθεμελίωσεν, τοῦτο τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐκαμάρωσε, τοῦτο τὴν γῆν ἐπλάτυνε, τοῦτο τὴν θάλασσαν ἐχαράκωσε ψάμμῳ. Τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ἐκβάλλει ἀνέμους ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ἐπὶ Νῶε τοὺς καταράκτας ἀνέῳξεν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον βροχῆς στήμονας κατεργάζεται, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ὡσεὶ ἔριον χιόνα τινάσσει, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον τοὺς προπάτορας ἡμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου διὰ τῆς Μωσαϊκῆς βακτηρίας ἠλευθέρωσεν, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἀνέτεμε καὶ ὡς διὰ χλοηφόρου πεδίου διήγαγεν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐπομβρίσαν τὸ μάννα γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι ἐκληροδότησεν· τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον διὰ τῶν πατέρων εἰς ὕψος ἐπαρθῆναι παρεσκεύασεν, τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ὅρκους πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ τιθέμενον ἔλεγε· Πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης. Περὶ τούτου τοῦ παιδίου ὁ προφητικὸς χορὸς παράκλησιν προσφέρων ἔλεγεν· Ἐξέγειρον τὴν δυναστείαν σου καὶ ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς. Μή, ὅτι παιδίον, τῷ παιδίῳ προσκόψητε. Τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ παιδίον καὶ τῷ πατρὶ συνάναρχον, τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ χρόνοις συναριθμούμενον, τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἀγενεαλόγητον, τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ παιδίον ψελλίζον, τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ στόμα καὶ σοφίαν χαριζόμενον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον τῆς ὑπάρξεως. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο Ἠσαΐας παρέστη σεν φάσκων· Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν. Τὸ μὲν ἐγεννήθη, τὸ δὲ ἐδόθη· τὸ μὲν διὰ τὸ ὁρώμενον, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸ νοούμενον. Ταῦτα τῆς Ἄννης τὰ προφητεύματα, ταῦτα τῆς γυναικὸς τὰ ἀριστολογήματα, ταῦτα τῆς χήρας τὰ κατορθώματα, τῆς ὄντως χήρας, τῆς καλῶς τὸν βίον ἀνταλλαξάσης, τῆς τὸν ἄνδρα προπεμψάσης καὶ τὸν κύριον ὑποδεξαμένης. Ἑπτὰ ἔτη τῷ ἀνδρὶ συνέζησε ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἐτῶν ἑβδομάδα πληρώσασα καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει τὴν ἀνδρικὴν ὁμιλίαν καταπαύσασα. Καλῶς ἐσαββά τισε, καλῶς τὴν κυριακὴν τῆς χάριτος κατέλαβε. Τρυγόνος τάξιν ἡ Ἄννα μετῆλθεν· οὐκ ἐποιήσατο λήθην τοῦ συζύγου, οὐκ ἠθέτησε τὴν πρώτην πίστιν, οὐκ ἀνήγαγεν ὑβριστὴν τῇ κλίνῃ, οὐκ ἐπέθηκεν ἄλλῳ τὸ τῆς μονογαμίας ξύλον. Εἶχεν ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ τὴν μνήμην, ὡς ζῶντα τὸν τεθνεῶτα· 3 οὐκ ἐρύπωσε τὴν νυμφικὴν σινδόνα, οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτῆς ὁ ἔλεγχος Παύλου λέγοντος· Ὅταν δὲ καταστρηνιάσωσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, γαμεῖν θέλουσιν, ἔχουσαι κρίμα ὅτι τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέτησαν. Ὄντως κρίματος ἀξία ἡ τὴν μνήμην συνθάψασα τῷ θεοζεύκτῳ συζύγῳ, καὶ μάλιστα τέκνου ἢ τέκνων παρόντων διὸ καὶ ὁ νόμος τοῦ γάμου πεφυτούργηται· εἰ δὲ μὴ πρόσεστι τῇ νέᾳ χήρᾳ τέκνον, εἰκὸς αὐτὴν ἐπὶ δεύτερον γάμον ὁρμᾶν τῷ ἔρωτι τῆς φιλοτεκνίας νυττομένην. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο παραινῶν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος κέκραγεν· Βούλομαι νεωτέρας χήρας γαμεῖν· εἶτα δεικνὺς τί τὸ σύμβολον τῆς προκοπῆς τοῦ δευτέρου γάμου προσέθηκε λέγων· Βούλομαι νεωτέρας χήρας γαμεῖν, τεκνογονεῖν, οἰκοδεσποτεῖν. Ὥστε περὶ τῆς παιδοποιΐας ἡ προσθήκη τοῦ δευτέρου γάμου· ὅταν δὲ πρόσεστι τῇ ὁρμησάσῃ νέᾳ χήρᾳ πρὸς γάμον τέκνα, περιττὸς λοιπὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος σπόρος τῶν λογικῶν σταχύων ἀντεριζόντων. Πάλιν οὖν τῷ λόγῳ ἐπανέλθωμεν· τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; Καλὸν γὰρ τῆς πάσης πραγματείας ἐπιλαβέσθαι. Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Λουκᾶ λέγοντος πῶς ὁ Συμεὼν πρὸς τὴν παρθένον ἔφη· Ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον, καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία. Τί ἐστι Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία;
About this text
A bishop explores the Virgin Mary's purity and its connection to Christ's divinity through scriptural analysis and spiritual insight.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 39 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.