The Unattested Birth
He proclaimed the co-eternal existence, and let the mouths of the slanderers be stopped, because He was born alone from alone and the heavenly birth is unattested.
Time was not present, for He is the creator of all ages.
An angel was not present, for He makes His angels spirits and His servants a flame of fire (Psalm 104:4).
Heaven was not present, for by the Word of the Lord the heavens were established (Psalm 33:6).
The sun was not present, for He is the sun of righteousness.
The moon was not present, for He established the moon and the stars.
The earth was not present, for He said, 'Let the waters be gathered and the dry land appear' (Genesis 1:9).
The heavenly birth is unattested, divine, and incomprehensible, since only the Father knows how He was born, and the Son knows how He was begotten.
John alone proclaimed the birth without beginning and the co-eternal existence.
The blessed Luke, on the other hand, narrated the whole mystery of the incarnation, from the gospel of Gabriel to the piety of the virgin, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the form of God, the passionless kenosis of the divinity, the unchangeable and unmixed incarnation, the inviolable virginity, the self-contained conception, the abundant childbirth, and the angel's announcement to the virgin, saying, 'Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you.'
This greeting is one that is fitting for no one else but the holy virgin alone.
Eve gave birth in sorrows, Sarah gave birth in labor, Rebecca gave birth in groanings, Anna gave birth in tears, and Elizabeth gave birth in corruption; all gave birth in sorrows since all conceived with corruption.
In contrast, you alone rejoice, for you are the gate of God and the cloud of mystery, the temple of the uncircumscribable.
You are the one from whom the Savior was born, who took away every tear from every face (Revelation 21:4).
You are the mother and heaven, the virgin and cloud, the virgin and throne, for you gave birth to the one who is from you and before you and with you.
As the mother of the Savior, you rejoice because your son has taken away the sorrow and pain of childbirth, as He said, 'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes' (Revelation 21:4).
You rejoice because you are the temple of the uncircumscribable, and the virgin and the throne, the one who bears the Savior and is exalted above all things.
Greek
ἐκήρυξεν καὶ τὴν συναΐδιον ὕπαρξιν. Καὶ ἐμφραττέσθω τῶν φιλολοιδόρων τὰ στόματα, ὅτι μόνος ἐκ μόνου ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἀμάρτυρος ἡ ἄνω γέννησις. Χρόνος μὲν γὰρ οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι πάντων τῶν αἰώνων δημιουργός. Ἄγγελος οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν «ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον.» Οὐρανὸς οὐ παρῆν· «Τῷ γὰρ Λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν.» Ἥλιος οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὑπάρχει «ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος». Σελήνη οὐ παρῆν· «Σελήνην γὰρ καὶ ἀστέρας αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν.» Γῆ οὐ παρῆν· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν· «Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά.» Ἀμάρτυρος οὖν ἡ ἄνω γέννησις, θεία καὶ ἀπερινόητος, ἐπειδὴ μόνος οἶδεν ὁ Πατὴρ πῶς ἐγέννησεν, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς πῶς ἐγεννήθη. Ὁ τοίνυν Ἰωάννης μόνος τὴν ἄναρχον γέννησιν καὶ τὴν συναΐδιον ὕπαρξιν ἐκήρυξεν. 7 Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Λουκᾶς, ὁ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν ἐξαίρετος καὶ τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ τούτου λίθου καὶ τιμίου μαργαρίτου ἔμπορος, ὁ ἄγρυπνος τῆς πόλεως φύλαξ, ὁ ἔμπειρος τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρός, τὸ ἀπόρθητον τῶν βασιλέων τεῖχος, ὅλον ὁμοῦ διηγήσατο τὸ μυ-στήριον, τοῦ Γαβριὴλ τὰ εὐαγγέλια, τῆς παρθένου τὴν εὐλάβειαν, τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐπιφοίτησιν, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μορφήν, τὴν ἀπαθῆ κένωσιν τῆς θεότητος, τὸ ἄτρεπτον τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καὶ ἀσύγχυτον, τῆς παρθενίας τὸ ἄσυλον, τῆς συλλήψεως τὸ αὐτοσχέδιον, τοῦ τόκου τὸ ἄφθορον, τὸν τοῦ ἀγγέλου εὐαγγελισμὸν πρὸς τὴν παρθένον εἰπόντος· «Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.» 8 Ὢ ἀσπασμὸς οὐδενὶ ἄλλῳ ἁρμόσας, εἰ μὴ μόνῃ τῇ ἁγίᾳ παρθένῳ. Ἔτεκεν Εὔα ἀλλ' ἐν λύπαις, ἔτεκε Σάρρα ἀλλ' ἐν πόνῳ, ἔτεκε Ῥεβέκκα ἀλλ' ἐν στεναγμοῖς, ἔτεκεν Ἅννα ἀλλ' ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἔτεκεν Ἐλισάβετ ἀλλ' ἐν φθορᾷ, πᾶσαι ἐν λύπαις ἔτεκον ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαι μετὰ φθορᾶς συνέλαβον. Σὺ δὲ μόνη χαῖρε, ἡ πύλη τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μυστηρίου νεφέλη. Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε, ὁ ἀστενοχώρητος τοῦ ἀπεριγράπτου ναός. Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε· ὁ γὰρ ἐκ σοῦ σαρκούμενος «ἀφεῖλε πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου». Σὺ μόνη χαῖρε, ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οὐρανός, ἡ κόρη καὶ νεφέλη, ἡ παρθένος καὶ θρόνος· ὡς γὰρ μήτηρ ἔτεκες τὸν ἐκ σοῦ καὶ πρὸ σοῦ καὶ μετὰ σοῦ, ὡς δὲ παρθένος
About this text
Hesychius of Jerusalem, In sanctum Lucam (Greek).
Original English Translation of Hesychius of Jerusalem’s In sanctum Lucam — new OET from PG 93 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 93 (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.