Page 6 - Revista Paisiana Nr 13 Martie 2025

The Fathers of the Church on

Annunciation and Mother of God

To the virgin Mary was sent, not The Father bears witness from

any one of the angels, but the Archan- heaven to his Son. The Holy Spirit
gel Gabriel; for upon this service it was bears witness, coming down bodily in
meet that the highest angel should the form of a dove. The archangel Ga-
come, as being the bearer of the hi- briel bears witness, bringing the good
ghest of all tidings. He is therefore tidings to Mary. The Virgin Mother of
marked by a particular name, to sig- God bears witness.
nify what was his effectual part in the St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catecheti-

work. For Gabriel is interpreted, „the cal Lectures 10:19 [A.D. 350])
strength of God.” By the strength of
God then was He to be announced Though still a virgin she carried
Who was coming as the God of a child in her womb, and the han-
strength, and mighty in battle, to put dmaid and work of his wisdom be-
down the powers of the air. came the Mother of God.
St. Gregory the Great St. Ephraim the Syrian (Songs of
Praise 1:20 [A.D. 351])
The angel announces the birth

to the virgin not after the conception, The Word begotten of the Father
lest she should be thereby too much from on high, inexpressibly, inexplica-
troubled, but before the conception he bly, incomprehensibly, and eternally,
addresses her, not in a dream, but is he that is born in time here below of
standing by her in visible shape. For the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
as great indeed were the tidings she St. Athanasius (The Incarnation
receives, she needed before the issue of of the Word of God 8 [A.D. 365])

the event an extraordinary visible
manifestation. Being perfect at the side of the
St. John Chrysostom Father and incarnate among us, not
in appearance but in truth, he [the
The Virgin Mary, being obedient Son] reshaped man to perfection in
to his word, received from an angel himself from Mary the Mother of God
the glad tidings that she would bear through the Holy Spirit.
God Irenaeus St. Epiphanius of Salamis (The
(Against Heresies, 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]) Man Well-Anchored 75 [A.D. 374]).

sursa informatiilor:
6 https://orthodoxwiki.org PAISIANA nr. 3 / martie / 2025