Annunciation, Baptist’s leap, Simeon’s salvation — Christ is God
Mary said to the angel: “How will this be for me, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34–35) And answering, the angel said to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy one to be born will also be called Son of God.” So then — is the one born ineffably through the Spirit from the holy virgin only called Son, as if created, or is he believed to be Son by nature and truly, and God? This is true. So let the Word be understood as having become flesh hypostatically — that is, having made his own the flesh from the holy virgin through the Spirit. For in this way he will also be truly God.
“And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41–43) When God works the gift of prophecy, someone becomes a prophet; in any other way, not at all. So when the greeting of the holy virgin Mary, still carrying Jesus, moved John in the womb into prophecy, how is Christ not God — who even in the virgin’s womb moved the Baptist in a God-befitting way into the power of prophecy?
“Now you dismiss your servant, Master, according to your word in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared before the face of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the nations and glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29–32) Taking Jesus into his arms, Simeon says such things about him. So how is he salvation? And how a light for revelation to the nations — unless he is truly God and only Son by nature…
Greek
Εἶπε δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον· «Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῇ· «Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς Θεοῦ.» ἆρα οὖν κέκληται μόνον υἱὸς ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀπορρήτως γεγεννημένος, ἤγουν ἐκτισμένος, ἢ φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθῶς υἱὸς εἶναι πεπίστευται καὶ Θεός; ἀλλ’ ἔστι τοῦτο ἀληθές. νοείσθω δὴ οὖν σὰρξ καθ’ ὑπόστασιν γεγονὼς ὁ Λόγος, τουτέστιν ἰδίαν ποιησάμενος σάρκα τὴν διὰ Πνεύματος ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου. οὕτω γὰρ ἔσται καὶ Θεὸς ἀληθῶς.
«Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσεν τὸν ἀσπασμὸν τῆς Μαρίας ἡ Ἐλισάβετ, ἐσκίρτησε τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπλήσθη Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἡ Ἐλισάβετ καὶ ἀνεφώνησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπεν· Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου. καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο ἵνα ἔλθῃ ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου μου πρὸς μέ;» ἐνεργήσαντος Θεοῦ προφητείας χάριν, ἔσται τις προφήτης, καθ’ ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον οὐδαμῶς. ὅτε τοίνυν ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας κυοφορούσης ἔτι τὸν Ἰησοῦν κεκίνηκεν ἐν μήτρᾳ τὸν Ἰωάννην εἰς προφητείαν, πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς παρθένου νηδύϊ κινήσας θεοπρεπῶς εἰς προφητείας δύναμιν τὸν Βαπτιστήν;
«Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ· ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν, φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ.» ὁ Συμεὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς ἀγκάλας λαβὼν τὰ τοιάδε περὶ αὐτοῦ φησί. πῶς οὖν ἐστι σωτήριον; πῶς δὲ φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν, εἰ μὴ Θεός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς καὶ μόνος υἱός, ὁ φύσει…
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Arcadia and Marina (CPG 5219). One Son, Word made flesh — not two Christs. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Arcadiam et Marinam. OCR of that print was cleaned section by section before Pass A/B. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Pusey, De recta fide ad reginas (Oxford, 1877) (Greek · CPG 5219 §§1–100)
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.