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Appendix to Augustine's Sermones: Sermones supposititii, Sermones 174-195

Sermons CXCIV–CXCV

corpus, tendens ei laqueum mortis, per visionem videlicet carnis; ut quasi ad hominem solum tentator accederet, et Dominum penitus ignoraret. Videbat carnem, sed ignorabat Domini majestatem; cernebat infirmitatem, et non videbat deitatem. Remansit confusus diabolus, dum in homine apparuit Dominus. Sic a Deo Patre descendit, unde nunquam discessit. In terris erat; et coelos non deserebat, sicut ipse Dominus ait: Nemo ascendit in caelum, nisi qui de caelo descendit, Filius hominis qui est in caelo (Joan. III, 13). In terris ut homo loquebatur hominibus; et in coelo se esse fatebatur ut Deus. Deitas enim non minoratur, cum infirmitas assumitur; et illud quod non erat accepit, et Deus mansit quod ab initio fuit. Quod enim homo fuit, nobis profuit, sibi nihil minuit. Exinanivit plenitudinem deitatis, formam suscepit humilitatis; et Patri mansit aequalis.

body, setting for him the snare of death, namely through the sight of the flesh; so that the tempter would approach as if to a man alone, and would be wholly ignorant of the Lord. He saw the flesh, but did not know the majesty of the Lord; he perceived the weakness, and did not see the deity. The devil was left confounded, while the Lord appeared in a man. Thus He descended from God the Father, from Whom He never departed. He was on earth; and He did not abandon the heavens, as the Lord Himself says: No one has ascended into heaven except He Who descended from heaven, the Son of man Who is in heaven (John 3:13). On earth He spoke as a man to men; and He declared Himself to be in heaven as God. For the deity is not diminished when weakness is assumed; He both received that which He was not, and as God remained what He was from the beginning. For what He was as man profited us, and took nothing from Himself. He emptied out the fullness of the deity, He took up the form of humility; and He remained equal to the Father.

2. Mariae meritum et praerogativae. Talis eligitur Virgo, de toto scilicet mundo, quae tantum haberet meritum, ut Dei Filium in semetipsa susciperet, et post partum omni modo virgo permaneret. Ave, inquit, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; benedicta tu inter mulieres: quia ecce concipies et paries filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum; ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum (Luc. I, 28-32). Virginitatis jura servabis, filium habebis, et nomen virginis non amittes. Tanta est enim illa divina potentia, ut et matrem reddat fecundam, et virginem servet illaesam. Ideo benedicta tu inter mulieres, quia ex Spiritu sancto concipies, ubi non est carnalis maritus, sed divina dignoscitur virtus. Lactabis infantem proprium, Creatori succum porriges lactis, et cibis coelestibus satiaberis. Pannis involves puerum, qui tibi immortale condonabit indumentum. In praesepio pones infantilia membra, qui coelestem tibi praeparabit mensam. Omnia quae nutricis causa debentur circa puerum celebrabis, ut quod ipse promisit sanctis suis, et tu ipsa libentius consequaris. Quid multa? Exsulta, Virgo, de tanto promisso, nuntius discessit angelicus; et ventris hospitium ingreditur Deus, qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

2. The merit and prerogatives of Mary. Such a Virgin is chosen, namely out of the whole world, as would have merit so great that she would receive the Son of God within herself, and after the birth would remain a virgin in every way. Hail, he says, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women: for behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you will call His name Jesus; for He will save His people from their sins (Luke 1:28–32). You will keep the rights of virginity, you will have a son, and you will not lose the name of virgin. For so great is that divine power that it both makes the mother fruitful and keeps the virgin unharmed. Therefore you are blessed among women, because you will conceive of the Holy Spirit, where there is no carnal husband, but divine power is discerned. You will suckle your own infant, you will offer the juice of milk to the Creator, and you will be filled with heavenly food. You will wrap the boy in swaddling clothes, He Who will bestow on you an immortal garment. You will lay the infant limbs in the manger, He Who will prepare for you a heavenly table. All the things that are owed for a nurse's part towards a boy you will perform, so that what He Himself promised to His saints you yourself may also obtain the more gladly. Why say more? Exult, Virgin, at so great a promise; the angelic messenger departed; and God enters the lodging of the womb, Who lives and reigns for ages of ages. Amen.

SERMO CXCIV. De Annuntiatione Dominica, II.

Sermon 194. On the Annunciation of the Lord, 2.

1. Evae damna, et Mariae beneficia. Adest nobis, dilectissimi, optatus dies beatae ac venerabilis semper

1. The losses of Eve, and the benefits of Mary. There is present to us, dearly beloved, the longed-for day of the blessed and ever venerable

Editors' notes and page, col. 2104

Footnotes

(a) ‹anchor: Sermo CXCIV› · call in col 2104

Alias, de Sanctis 18.

Formerly Sermon 18 de Sanctis.

(printed under page 314)

(b) ‹anchor: De Annuntiatione Dominica, II› · call in col 2104

In Appendice nunc primum collocatur. Dubium relinquunt Lovanienses, et Fulgentio a quibusdam tribui dicunt. Rejiciunt omnino ut falsum Verlinus et Vindingus. Nec injuria sane, tametsi in Breviario Romano et nonnullis aliis legatur sub Augustini nomine die 1 et 2 annuae solemnitatis propter Deiparae Nativitatem celebrandam institutae. Enimvero si de Nativitate B. Virginis, sicuti vere in manuscriptis nostris, uno excepto Corbeiensi, inscribitur, compositus fuit, auctorem habeat necesse est recentiorem Augustino, qui aliquoties testatur in Sermonibus de Nativitate Joannis Baptistae, hujus tantum et Christi Domini Nativitatem in Ecclesia aevo suo celebrari solitam. Sed in quamcumque B. Mariae diem referatur sermonis exordium; certe nullum ipsius Virginis festum exhibet Calendarium antiquum in Carthaginensi Ecclesia usque ad Augustini saltem obitum qui in eo consignatur, usitatum. Praeterea quod hic frigidissime num. 2 dicitur de Sabellianis, fingere illos quod Maria, non decursis novem a conceptione mensibus pepererit Christum, sed fortuito repererit parvulum, id neque modo refutatur, neque alias unquam refutatum vel commemoratum est ab Augustino: imo Patripassianos, qui sunt Sabelliani, dixisse ipsum Patrem natum ex femina, observat in serm. 52, n. 6. Nec praetereundum silentio est sermonem in duobus manuscriptis Germanensibus praeferre nomen Hieronymi: quo nomine peraeque indignus videtur. Opus quippe est imperiti alicujus consarcinatoris, qui huc congessit plures ad verbum sententias superiorum sermonum 119, 120, 121, necnon sermonis 208, de Assumptione B. Mariae. De num. 1 vid. serm. 120 a n. 2 usque ad 8, nisi quod ibi plura hinc inde inseruntur; de num. 2 confer serm. 208, de Assumpt. B. M. num. 4; de num. 3, vide serm. 120, n. 7, et serm. 121, n. 4; de eodem num. 3 et 4 vide serm. 119 Append., n. 2-4; de num. 5, serm. 208, de Assumpt. n. 11.

It is placed in the Appendix now for the first time. The Louvain editors leave it doubtful, and say some ascribe it to Fulgentius. Verlinus and Vindingus reject it outright as spurious. And not without reason, although in the Roman Breviary and some others it is read under Augustine's name on the first and second days of the yearly solemnity instituted to celebrate the Nativity of the Mother of God. For if it was composed for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, as in fact it is headed in our manuscripts (the Corbie one alone excepted), it must have an author later than Augustine, who testifies more than once in his Sermons on the Nativity of John the Baptist that in his time only John's nativity and that of Christ the Lord were customarily celebrated in the Church. But to whatever day of Blessed Mary the opening of the sermon is referred, certainly the ancient Calendar of the Church of Carthage shows no feast of the Virgin herself in use, at least down to Augustine's death, which is recorded in it. Moreover, what is said here most insipidly in no. 2 of the Sabellians, that they pretended Mary gave birth to Christ without nine months having run from the conception, but found the little one by chance, is neither refuted here nor ever refuted or mentioned elsewhere by Augustine; rather, he observes in Sermon 52, no. 6, that the Patripassians, who are Sabellians, said the Father himself was born of a woman. Nor should it be passed over in silence that in two Saint-Germain manuscripts the sermon bears the name of Jerome, a name of which it seems equally unworthy. For it is the work of some unskilled patcher, who has heaped up here word for word many sentences of the preceding sermons 119, 120, 121, and also of Sermon 208, on the Assumption of Blessed Mary. On no. 1 see Sermon 120 from no. 2 to 8, except that more is inserted there here and there; on no. 2 compare Sermon 208, on the Assumption of Blessed Mary, no. 4; on no. 3 see Sermon 120, no. 7, and Sermon 121, no. 4; on nos. 3 and 4 see also Appendix Sermon 119, nos. 2–4; on no. 5, Sermon 208, on the Assumption, no. 11.

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virginis Mariae: ideo cum summa exsultatione gaudeat terra nostra, tantae Virginis illustrata die solemni. Haec est enim flos campi, de qua ortum est pretiosum lilium convallium, per cujus partum mutatur natura, protoplastorumque deletur et culpa. Praecisum est in ea illud Evae infelicitatis elogium quo dicitur, In tristitia paries filios (Gen. III, 16): quia ista in laetitia Dominum parturivit. Eva enim luxit, ista exsultavit; Eva lacrymas, Maria gaudium in ventre portavit: quia illa peccatorem, ista edidit innocentem. Virgo quippe genuit, quia virgo concepit; inviolata peperit, quia in conceptu libido non fuit. Utrobique miraculum, et sine corruptione gravida, et in partu virgo puerpera. Descendit angelus de coelo missus a Patre Deo in nostrae redemptionis exordium, ad beatam salutandam Mariam: Ave, inquit angelus ad eam, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Impleta est ergo Maria gratia, et Eva vacuata est a culpa. Maledictio Evae in benedictionem mutatur Mariae: Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Tecum Dominus in corde, tecum in ventre, tecum in utero, tecum in auxilio.

virgin Mary: therefore let our land rejoice with the highest exultation, made illustrious by the solemn day of so great a Virgin. For she is the flower of the field, from whom has sprung the precious lily of the valleys, through whose childbearing nature is changed, and the guilt of the first-formed is also blotted out. Cut off in her is that sentence of Eve's unhappiness by which it is said, In sorrow you shall bring forth children (Gen. 3:16): because she brought forth the Lord in joy. For Eve mourned, she exulted; Eve carried tears, Mary carried joy in her womb: because the one brought forth a sinner, the other an innocent. The Virgin indeed gave birth, because a virgin conceived; inviolate she brought forth, because in the conception there was no lust. A miracle on both sides: both pregnant without corruption, and in childbirth a virgin mother. An angel came down from heaven, sent by God the Father at the beginning of our redemption, to greet blessed Mary: Hail, said the angel to her, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Mary therefore was filled with grace, and Eve was emptied of guilt. The curse of Eve is changed into the blessing of Mary: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. The Lord is with you in your heart, with you in your belly, with you in your womb, with you as your help.

2. Maria omnem superat laudem. Gratulare, beata Virgo: Christus rex e coelo suo venit in uterum tuum, ex sinu Patris in uterum dignatur descendere matris. Benedicta, inquit, tu, in mulieribus, quae vitam et viris et mulieribus peperisti. Mater generis nostri poenam intulit mundo; Genitrix Domini nostri salutem attulit mundo. Auctrix peccati Eva; auctrix meriti Maria, Eva occidendo obfuit; Maria vivificando profuit. Illa percussit; ista sanavit. Pro inobedientia enim obedientia commutatur, fides pro perfidia compensatur. Laeta igitur Maria gestat infantem, exsultans amplexatur filium, portat a quo portabatur. Nec fortuitu, ut fingunt Sabelliani, reperit parvulum; sed decursis novem mensibus peperit Christum. Plaudat nunc organis Maria, et inter veloces articulos tympana puerperae concrepent. Concinant laetantes chori, et alternantibus modulis dulcisona carmina misceantur. Audite igitur quemadmodum tympanistria nostra cantaverit: ait enim, Magnificat anima mea Dominum; et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo: quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae; ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes. Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est. Causa igitur tantae invalescentis laetitiae erat miraculum novum. Novus Mariae partus partum Evae evicit, et Evae planctum Mariae cantus exclusit.

2. Mary surpasses all praise. Rejoice, blessed Virgin: Christ the King came from His heaven into your womb; from the bosom of the Father He deigns to descend into the womb of a mother. Blessed, he says, are you among women, you who have brought forth life for both men and women. The mother of our race brought punishment into the world; the Mother of our Lord brought salvation into the world. Eve the author of sin; Mary the author of merit. Eve did harm by killing; Mary did good by giving life. The one struck; the other healed. For disobedience is exchanged for obedience, faithlessness is compensated by faith. Joyful, therefore, Mary carries the infant, exulting she embraces her son, she carries Him by whom she was carried. Nor did she find the little one by chance, as the Sabellians pretend; but when nine months had run their course she brought forth Christ. Let Mary now applaud with instruments, and among the swift fingers let the timbrels of the new mother resound. Let rejoicing choirs sing together, and let sweet-sounding songs be mingled in alternating measures. Hear, then, how our timbrel-player sang: for she says, My soul magnifies the Lord; and my spirit has exulted in God my saviour: because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me. The cause, then, of so great and growing a joy was a new miracle. Mary's new childbearing overcame Eve's childbearing, and Mary's song shut out Eve's lament.

3. Mundi salus ex Mariae assensu pendet. Maria mater et virgo. Nupsit ipsi Deo. Jeremiae de Maria prophetia. Denique post illius benedictionis praesagium, dum tacita secum Virgo mentis altercatione confligeret, qualis esset ista salutatio; nuntius interim coelestis exsequitur: Ne timeas, Maria; invenisti gratiam apud Dominum. Ecce concipies in utero et paries filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum. At illa: Quomodo, inquit, fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco? Et angelus ad eam: Spiritus, ait, sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi; ideoque quod nascetur ex te Sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei. Jam audisti quomodo fiet hoc, responde nunc verbum; utquid turbaris modo? Audisti quomodo fiet hoc, quia Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, ut prolem gignas, et virginitatem non perdas; filium proferas, et post partum incorrupta permaneas. O beata Maria, saeculum omne captivum tuum deprecatur assensum: te, Domina, mundus suae fidei obsidem fecit. Noli morari,

3. The salvation of the world hangs on Mary's assent. Mary mother and virgin. She was wedded to God Himself. Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Mary. Then, after the presage of that blessing, while the Virgin, silent within herself, struggled in a dispute of mind as to what kind of greeting this was, the heavenly messenger meanwhile goes on: Do not fear, Mary; you have found grace with the Lord. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. But she said: How, she says, shall this be, since I do not know a man? And the angel to her: The Holy Spirit, he says, shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; and therefore the Holy One that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. Now you have heard how this shall be; answer now a word; why are you troubled now? You have heard how this shall be, that the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, so that you may beget offspring and not lose your virginity; that you may bring forth a son, and after childbirth remain incorrupt. O blessed Mary, the whole captive world begs for your assent: you, Lady, the world has made the hostage of its faith. Do not delay,

Editors' notes and page, col. 2105

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: not visible on the foot image› · call in col 2105

Ita editi. Accedunt gr. duo, in quibus, solemnitate. Corbeiensis autem habet, conceptu. Alter item Corbeiensis cum Fossatensi, excessu. Michaelinus vero, Natali.

So the printed editions. Two gr. manuscripts agree, in which "solemnitate" (solemnity). But the Corbie manuscript has "conceptu" (conception). The other Corbie manuscript likewise, with the Saint-Maur-des-Fossés one, "excessu" (departure). The Mont-Saint-Michel manuscript, however, "Natali" (birthday).

(printed under page 315)

(2) ‹anchor: partum Evae evicit› · call in col 2105

Ita cb. Ms. et m., nisi quod in hoc est, errati, pro, laetitiae. In editis autem: Causam igitur invalescentis errati miraculum novi partus evicit.

So manuscripts cb. and m., except that in the latter there is "errati" (of the error) for "laetitiae" (of the joy). But in the printed editions: "The miracle of the new birth therefore overcame the cause of the prevailing error."

(printed under page 315)

(3) ‹anchor: turbaris modo› · call in col 2105

Et hic secuti sumus Ms. cb., cum in aliis libris sit quomodo supra serm. 120, n. 7, vitam quid tricas mundo?

Here too we have followed manuscript cb., whereas in the other books there is, as above in Sermon 120, no. 7, "why do you delay life for the world?"

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(4) ‹anchor: te, Domina› · call in col 2105

Forte, te Domino; ut supra, serm. 120, n. 7.

Perhaps "te Domino" (you, for the Lord); as above, Sermon 120, no. 7.

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Virgo : nuntio festinanter responde verbum, et suscipe filium; da fidem, et senti virtutem. Ecce, inquit, ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Luc. I, 26-38, 46-49). Nec mora, revertitur nuntius, et virginalem thalamum ingreditur Christus. Efficitur subito praegnans beata Dei genitrix, et cuncta per saecula praedicatur hinc felix. Concepit mox ad credulitatem verbi, virilis ignara consortii : impletur uterus nullo humano pollutus amplexu. Exstat itaque virgo cum concipit, virgo gravida, virgo cum parit, et virgo post partum⟨.⟩ Praeclara ergo illa virginitas, et gloriosa fecunditas. Exsultat Maria, et matrem se laeta miratur, et de Spiritu sancto se peperisse gaudet : nec quia peperit innupta, terretur; sed quia genuerit, cum exsultatione miratur. Gaudeamus ergo et nos, fratres, in die tantae Virginis, quae dum desponsaretur fabro, coeli nupsit architecto. Promittitur enim ei Filius per visitationem sancti Spiritus. Haec illa audiens gaudet, cupitque effici mater. Quid igitur mirum, si sine corruptione nascitur, qui de sanctificatione concipitur : Non enim decebat ut ille qui nobis afferebat salutem, matri praeriperet integritatis dignitatem. Nam qui terra, mari coeloque non capitur, intra unius corpusculi membra suscipitur. H⟨ae⟩c est illa novitas Jeremiae prophetae vaticinio praenuntiata : Faciet, inquit, Dominus novum super terram; femina circumdabit virum (Jerem. XXXI, 22). O femina super feminas benedicta, quae virum o⟨m⟩nino non novit, et virum suo utero circumdedit! Circumdat virum Maria angelo fidem dando; quia Eva perdidit virum serpenti consentiendo.

Virgin: answer the messenger quickly with a word, and receive the Son; give faith, and feel the power. Behold, she said, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:26–38, 46–49). Without delay the messenger returns, and Christ enters the virginal bridal chamber. The blessed Mother of God suddenly becomes pregnant, and from this she is proclaimed happy through all the ages. She conceived at once upon believing the word, knowing nothing of union with a man: the womb is filled, defiled by no human embrace. And so she stands a virgin when she conceives, a virgin when pregnant, a virgin when she gives birth, and a virgin after childbirth. Splendid, therefore, is that virginity, and glorious the fruitfulness. Mary exults, and joyfully marvels that she is a mother, and rejoices that she has brought forth of the Holy Spirit: nor is she alarmed because she has brought forth unwed; but because she has given birth, she marvels with exultation. Let us therefore also rejoice, brethren, on the day of so great a Virgin, who, while she was betrothed to a craftsman, was wedded to the architect of heaven. For a Son is promised to her through the visitation of the Holy Spirit. Hearing this she rejoices, and desires to be made a mother. What wonder is it, then, if He is born without corruption Who is conceived of sanctification? For it was not fitting that He Who was bringing us salvation should snatch from His mother the dignity of her integrity. For He Who is not contained by earth, sea and heaven is received within the members of one little body. This is that novelty foretold in the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah: The Lord, he says, will make a new thing upon the earth; a woman shall encompass a man (Jer. 31:22). O woman blessed above women, who knew no man at all, and yet encompassed a man in her womb! Mary encompasses a man by giving faith to an angel; whereas Eve lost the man by consenting to the serpent.

4. Angeli ad Mariam verba. Mariae obedientia commendatur. Salutat angelus puellam viri salutationis ignaram; terretur Virgo novitate verborum. Ad quam angelus, ut superius protulimus, dixit : Ne timeas, Maria; invenisti enim gratiam apud Dominum. Ne, inquit, a conspectu meo, mater Domini mei, terrearis : ego conceptionis tuae minister adveni, non ut virginitatem amitteres interveni; ipse me misit ad te, qui est nasciturus ex te. Concipies enim et paries filium; non cujuslibet meriti hominem, sed totius saeculi Salvatorem. Recole, Maria, in libro Isaiae, prophetae virginem quam parituram legisti (Isai. VII, 14); et gaude atque exsulta, quia tu esse meruisti. Tu ibi praefigurata es Virgo, tu ecce concipies in utero, non de viro, sed de Spiritu sancto : et gravida eris, et incorrupta permanebis. Paries quidem filium, et virginitatis non patieris detrimentum. Efficieris gravida, et eris mater semper intacta. Senties pondera ventris, et pudorem non perdes castitatis. Intumescent ubera tua, et intacta manent genitalia tua. At illa dixit, Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. O felix obedientia, o insignis gratia, quae dum fidem humiliter dedit, coeli in se opificem corporavit! Implevit in ea Dominus, quod dudum praedixerat : Obedientiam malo quam sacrificium, et scientiam Dei plus quam holocausta (Osee VI, 6). Haec fuit vera obedientia omni sacrificio gratior, haec voluntas cunctis hostiis acceptior; hinc promeruit gloriam, quam ipsa postmodum plausit : Ecce, ait, ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.

4. The angel's words to Mary. Mary's obedience is commended. The angel greets a girl unacquainted with a man's greeting; the Virgin is alarmed by the novelty of the words. To her the angel, as we set out above, said: Do not fear, Mary; for you have found grace with the Lord. Do not, he says, be alarmed at the sight of me, mother of my Lord: I have come as the minister of your conception; I have not intervened so that you should lose your virginity; He Himself sent me to you Who is to be born of you. For you shall conceive and bear a son; not a man of some ordinary merit, but the Saviour of the whole world. Recall, Mary, in the book of Isaiah the prophet, the virgin whom you read would give birth (Isa. 7:14); and rejoice and exult, because you have been found worthy to be she. There you were prefigured, Virgin; behold, you shall conceive in the womb, not of a man, but of the Holy Spirit: and you shall be pregnant, and remain incorrupt. You shall indeed bear a son, and you shall suffer no loss of virginity. You shall be made pregnant, and you shall be a mother ever untouched. You shall feel the weight of the womb, and you shall not lose the modesty of chastity. Your breasts shall swell, and your genitals remain untouched. But she said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. O happy obedience, O remarkable grace, which, while it humbly gave faith, embodied within itself the maker of heaven! The Lord fulfilled in her what He had long ago foretold: I prefer obedience to sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than holocausts (Hos. 6:6). This was true obedience, more pleasing than any sacrifice; this the will more acceptable than all victims; hence she merited the glory which she herself afterwards acclaimed: Behold, she says, from this time all generations shall call me blessed.

5. Ad beatam Virginem precatio. O beata Maria, quis tibi digne valeat jura gratiarum ac laudum praeconia impendere, quae singulari tuo assensu mundo succurristi perdito? Quas tibi laudes fragilitas humani generis persolvat, quae solo tuo commercio recuperandi aditum invenit? Accipe itaque quascumque exiles, quascumque meritis tuis impares gratiarum actiones : et cum susceperis vota, culpas nostras orando excusa. Admitte nostras preces intra sacrarium exauditionis, reporta nobis antidotum reconciliationis. Sit per te excusabile quod per te ingerimus;

5. A prayer to the blessed Virgin. O blessed Mary, who could worthily render to you the dues of thanks and the proclamations of praise, you who by your singular assent came to the aid of a lost world? What praises could the frailty of the human race pay you, which through your exchange alone has found the way of recovery? Accept, therefore, such thanksgivings as they are, slight and unequal to your merits: and when you have received our prayers, excuse our faults by interceding. Admit our petitions into the sanctuary of hearing, bring back to us the antidote of reconciliation. Let what we bring forward through you be made excusable through you;

Editors' notes and page, col. 2106

Footnotes

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Hic editi contra fidem Mss. loco, tantae Virginis; substituebant, annuntiationis quae per Angelum hodie facta est ad aures Virginis.

Here the printed editions, against the authority of the manuscripts, in place of "tantae Virginis" (of so great a Virgin) substituted "of the annunciation which was made today by the Angel to the Virgin's ears."

(printed under page 315)

(2) ‹anchor: minister adveni› · call in col 2106

In Ms. m., nuntius.

In manuscript m.: "nuntius" (messenger).

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fiat impetrabile quod fida mente poscimus. Accipe quod offerimus, redona quod rogamus; excusa quod timemus. (Quia tu es spes unica peccatorum, per te speramus veniam delictorum; et in te, beatissima, nostrorum est exspectatio praemiorum.) Sancta Maria, succurre miseris, juva pusillanimes, refove flebiles, ora pro populo, interveni pro clero, intercede pro devoto femineo sexu. Sentiant omnes tuum juvamen, quicumque celebrant tuam commemorationem. Assiste parata votis poscentium, et repende omnibus optatum effectum. Sit tibi studium assidue orare pro populo Dei, quae meruisti benedicta pretium ferre mundi, qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum.

let what we ask with a faithful mind be granted. Accept what we offer, give in return what we ask, excuse what we fear. (For you are the only hope of sinners; through you we hope for the pardon of offences; and in you, most blessed one, lies the expectation of our rewards.) Holy Mary, help the wretched, aid the faint-hearted, comfort those who weep, pray for the people, intervene for the clergy, intercede for the devout female sex. Let all who celebrate your commemoration feel your help. Stand ready for the prayers of those who ask, and repay to all the effect they desire. Let it be your care to pray constantly for the people of God, you who, blessed, merited to bear the price of the world, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

SERMO CXCV. De Annuntiatione Dominica, III.

Sermon 195. On the Annunciation of the Lord, III.

1. Maria, porta in domo Domini clausa. Castissimum Mariae virginis uterum, sponsae virginis clausum ventris cubiculum, signatum pudoris coenaculum merito plenissime collaudarem, si messem meterem quam non seminarem, de qua sic Apostolus dicit, Quaecumque seminaverit homo, haec et metet (Galat VI, 8). Verum est omnino, verum est hoc omnem hominem metere quod seminavit: Deus solus potest metere quod non seminavit, sicut ipse Filius Virginis in quadam lectione Evangelii ait, Meto ubi non seminavi, et colligo ubi non sparsi (Luc. XIX, 22). Dicat, dicat: solus dicat natus ex Virgine, Filius Mariae, dicat sponsae matri suae, Meto ubi non seminavi, et colligo ubi non sparsi. Dicat et Maria: Et ego te filium generavi; sed virginitatem meam non violavi: regnum tenui virginitatis, et regem genui castitatis: ingredientem et egredientem habui in palatio ventris Filium imperatoris, et de manibus meis non amisi clavem regii pudoris. Porta facta sum coeli; janua facta sum Filio Dei. Illa porta facta sum clausa, quam in visione divina Ezechiel vidit propheta, de qua in me dicit prophetizans. Vidi portam in domo Domini clausam: et dixit ad me angelus, Porta haec quam vides, non aperietur, et homo non transiet per eam; quoniam Dominus solus intrabit, et egredietur per eam, et clausa erit in aeternum (Ezech. XLIV, 2). O mirabilis Prophetae visio; sed mirabilior prophetiae adimpletio! Quid est porta in domo Domini clausa, nisi quod Maria Virgo semper erit intacta? Et quid est, Homo non transiet per eam; nisi, Joseph non cogno⟨s⟩cet eam? Et quid est, Dominus solus intrabit et egredietur per eam; nisi, Spiritus sanctus impraegnabit eam, et Angelorum Dominus nascetur per eam? Et quid est, Clausa erit in aeternum, nisi quia erit Maria virgo ante partum, virgo in partu, virgo post partum? Dicat ergo Maria: Porta facta sum coeli, janua facta sum Filio Dei: illi facta sum janua clausa, qui pos⟨t⟩ suam resurrectionem ingressus est ad discipulos suos per ostia clausa; qui natus de ventre meo, me matrem dimisit intactam, adimplevit ventrem meum divinitate, et uterum meum non evacuavit castitate: exivit de ventre meo, giganteo

1. Mary, the gate shut in the house of the Lord. I would rightly praise most fully the most chaste womb of the virgin Mary, the closed chamber of the belly of the virgin bride, the sealed upper room of modesty, if I were reaping a harvest that I had not sown, of which the Apostle speaks thus: Whatever a man has sown, that he will also reap (Gal. 6:8). It is entirely true, it is true that every man reaps what he has sown: God alone can reap what He has not sown, as the Son of the Virgin Himself says in a certain reading of the Gospel: I reap where I have not sown, and I gather where I have not scattered (Luke 19:22). Let Him say, let Him say: let Him alone say it Who was born of the Virgin, the Son of Mary; let Him say to His bride and mother: I reap where I have not sown, and I gather where I have not scattered. Let Mary too say: I also have begotten Thee as a son, but I have not violated my virginity: I have held the kingdom of virginity, and have borne the king of chastity: I had the Son of the emperor entering and going out in the palace of my womb, and I did not let slip from my hands the key of royal modesty. I have been made the gate of heaven; I have been made the door for the Son of God. I have been made that closed gate which Ezekiel the prophet saw in a divine vision, about which he speaks of me in prophesying. I saw a gate shut in the house of the Lord: and the angel said to me, This gate which you see shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it; for the Lord alone shall enter, and shall go out through it, and it shall be shut for ever (Ezek. 44:2). O wonderful vision of the Prophet; but more wonderful the fulfilment of the prophecy! What is the gate shut in the house of the Lord, except that Mary the Virgin will always be untouched? And what is, No man shall pass through it, except that Joseph will not know her? And what is, The Lord alone shall enter and go out through it, except that the Holy Spirit will make her pregnant, and the Lord of the Angels will be born through her? And what is, It shall be shut for ever, except that Mary will be a virgin before giving birth, a virgin in giving birth, a virgin after giving birth? Let Mary therefore say: I have been made the gate of heaven, I have been made the door for the Son of God: I have been made a shut door for Him Who after His resurrection came in to His disciples through closed doors; Who, born of my womb, left me His mother untouched, filled my womb with divinity, and did not empty my womb of chastity: He went out from my womb, in a giant's

Editors' notes and page, col. 2107

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: praemiorum (end of the parenthesis, "exspectatio praemiorum.)")› · call in col 2107

Verba hic parenthesi inclusa desunt in manuscriptis et in serm. 208, de Assumptione.

The words enclosed here in parentheses are lacking in the manuscripts and in Sermon 208, on the Assumption.

(printed under page 316)

(2) ‹anchor: tuam commemorationem› · call in col 2107

Ita Ms. cb. cum editis. Alii, tuum Natale. Et infra, in serm. 208, de Assumptione, tuum nomen.

So manuscript cb. with the printed editions. Others: "tuum Natale" (your birthday). And below, in Sermon 208, on the Assumption: "tuum nomen" (your name).

(printed under page 316)

(3) ‹anchor: pretium ferre mundi› · call in col 2107

Editi, Redemptorem ferre mundi. Ms. m., prolem ferre mundi. Unus ex gr., benedictam prolem proferre mundo. Alter gr., benedictam precem proferre mundo: per quae verba in iisdem Mss. sermo clauditur. Secuti sumus Ms. cb., in quo haec insuper additur clausula, praestante Dei et hominis Filio, quem portasti in utero Redemptorem ac Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, qui cum Patre ac Spiritu sancto unus Deus in Trinitate vivit et regnat per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

The printed editions: "to bear the Redeemer of the world." Manuscript m.: "to bear the offspring of the world." One of the gr. manuscripts: "to bring forth blessed offspring for the world." The other gr.: "to bring forth a blessed prayer for the world," and with these words the sermon closes in those same manuscripts. We have followed manuscript cb., in which this closing clause is added besides: "by the gift of the Son of God and man, whom you bore in your womb, our Redeemer and Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God in Trinity, lives and reigns for all ages of ages. Amen."

(printed under page 316)

(a) ‹anchor: not visible (sermon heading, Sermo CXCV)› · call in col 2107

Olim, de Tempore 18; et post, in Appendice 25.

Formerly Sermon 18 de Tempore; and later, no. 25 in the Appendix.

(printed under page 316)

(b) ‹anchor: not visible (sermon heading)› · call in col 2107

Hominis est ineruditi, judicio Lovaniensium. In codicibus admodum vetustis invenitur: unus ex illis Corbeiensis Ambrosium, caeteri fere Augustinum auctorem, sed immerito, designant.

It is the work of an unlearned man, in the judgement of the Louvain editors. It is found in very old codices: one of them, from Corbie, names Ambrose as its author, nearly all the others Augustine, but undeservedly.

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(none)

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cursu magnificus, et venter meus non est pudore evacuatus, nec in conceptione inventa sum sine pudore, nec in parturitione inventa sum cum dolore. O mira et laudabilis inter feminas, in qua ab angelo est salutata virginitas, sola impraegnata nec vitiata, exonerata nec evacuata; quia sic est ab angelo salutata, Ave, inquit, gratia plena, Dominus tecum! Felix umbilicus castitatis, quem amplexus non tetigit maritalis! Considero conceptum tuum, beata Virgo, et expaves⟨c⟩o; intueor partum tuum, et contremisco; adoro Filium tuum, et revivisco.

course magnificent, and my womb has not been emptied of its modesty, nor was I found without modesty in conception, nor was I found with pain in giving birth. O woman wonderful and praiseworthy among women, in whom virginity was greeted by an angel, alone made pregnant and not defiled, delivered and not emptied; for thus she was greeted by the angel: Hail, he says, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Happy the navel of chastity, which no marital embrace has touched! I consider your conception, blessed Virgin, and I am struck with dread; I gaze upon your childbearing, and I tremble; I adore your Son, and I come back to life.

2. Angelica salutatio. Enarra, obsecro, mihi, quomodo meruisti dici nurus Domini, et sponsa Filii Dei? Quod rogo, indica mihi; sed tamen colloquen⟨t⟩i tecum ignosce mihi: ignosce, inquam, mihi, quod audeam servus, atque utinam vel bonus, et non etiam inutilis et malus servus, et ideo malus servus, quia non tecum cum tremore loquor ut servus: ignosce ergo mihi, quod audeam cum sponsa Domini mei confabulari; et tamen indica mihi quomodo potuerit Dei Filius per te generari. Audite, fra⟨t⟩res, audite Mariam nobiscum loquentem; carne absentem et spiritu praesentem; verecu⟨n⟩dia virginitatis vultum avertentem a collocu⟨t⟩ore, et indica⟨n⟩tem quomodo impraegnata sit a Creatore. Eram, inquit Maria, in domo mea, puella Judaea, ex semine David regis generata: adulta facta sum, et desponsata sum conjugi, et placui alteri, non interveniente adulterio, sed intercedente Spiritu sancto. Desponsata sum homini Judaeo, et placui homini Deo: desponsavit me vir Judaeus, et adamavit me Christus Deus. Ignoravit quidem sponsus meus Joseph quod me adamasset Deus meus, et putavit quod adulterio impraegnatus esset venter meus. Namque ignorante Joseph sponso meo, venit ad me quidam magnus Christi paranymphus, non patriarcha primus, aut propheta egregius; sed Gabriel ille archangelus, facie rutilans, veste coruscans, incessu mirabili, aspectu terribili, visitavit et perturbavit me, salutavit et gravidavit, dixitque mihi: Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Dominus, inquit, tecum; sed plus quam mecum. Dominus tecum; sed non sicut mecum. In me enim licet sit Dominus, memetipsum creavit Dominus: per te autem nasciturus est. Ita est enim, Maria, Dominus tecum, ut sit in corde tuo, sit in utero tuo; adimpleat mentem tuam, adimpleat ventrem tuum: procedat formo⟨s⟩us de utero tuo, tanquam sponsus de thalamo suo; egrediatur rex ex intimo ventre tuo, tanquam rex de cubiculo suo; procedat princeps ex aula regali; ita ut virginitatem tuam non faciat violari.

2. The angelic salutation. Tell me, I beseech you, how you deserved to be called the daughter-in-law of the Lord and the bride of the Son of God? What I ask, make known to me; but yet forgive me for speaking with you: forgive me, I say, that I dare to do so, a servant, and would that I were at least a good one, and not also a useless and wicked servant, and wicked for this reason, that I do not speak with you with trembling as a servant should: forgive me therefore that I dare to converse with the bride of my Lord; and yet make known to me how the Son of God could be begotten through you. Hear, brethren, hear Mary speaking with us; absent in the flesh and present in the spirit; turning her face away from the one who speaks with her out of the modesty of virginity, and making known how she was made pregnant by the Creator. I was, says Mary, in my house, a Jewish girl, born of the seed of King David: I grew to maturity, and I was betrothed to a husband, and I pleased another, not by the intervention of adultery, but by the intercession of the Holy Spirit. I was betrothed to a Jewish man, and I pleased the God-man: a Jewish man betrothed me, and Christ God loved me. My betrothed Joseph indeed did not know that my God had loved me, and he thought that my womb had been made pregnant by adultery. For without the knowledge of Joseph my betrothed there came to me a certain great groomsman of Christ, not the first patriarch, nor an outstanding prophet; but Gabriel, that archangel, with glowing face, gleaming garment, wondrous gait, terrifying aspect, visited me and troubled me, greeted me and made me with child, and said to me: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. The Lord, he says, is with you; but more than with me. The Lord is with you; but not as with me. For though the Lord is in me, the Lord created me myself: but through you He is to be born. For thus, Mary, the Lord is with you, that He may be in your heart, may be in your womb; may fill your mind, may fill your belly: may the beautiful One come forth from your womb, as a bridegroom from his bridal chamber; may the King go forth from your inmost womb, as a king from his chamber; may the Prince proceed from the royal hall; in such a way that He does not cause your virginity to be violated.

3. Sequitur de eodem argumento. Dixitque ei: Quomodo fiet istud, ut utero gravescam pudico, et immunis sim a marito; quoniam virum penitus non cognosco? Desponsata namque sum homini justo; si cum illo non convenero, unde erit quod generabo? Sed si potest fieri ut et concipiam intacta, et generem clausa, indica modum, et paratum in⟨v⟩enies animum meum. Omnibus enim me modis exopto ego Deo meo; ut et habeam prolem, et non perdam pudorem. Refert angelus Gabriel modum conceptionis, quod in verbo fieret Salvatoris. O, inquit, Maria virgo Dei, sponsa Dei; dilecta Dei, filia Dei, mater Dei, si hunc a me modum requiris, quomodo virgo concipias, virgo parias, et post partum virgo permaneas, vel quomodo fiet in te qui fecit te; audi me, et ne perturberis in te: Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi (Luc. I, 34, 35). Ita te virtus Altissimi obumbrabit, ut nec aestum patiaris libidinis, et mater sis Creatoris.

3. The same argument continues. And she said to him: How shall this be, that I should grow heavy in a chaste womb and yet be untouched by a husband; since I know no man at all? For I am betrothed to a just man; if I do not come together with him, whence shall be what I shall bring forth? But if it can come about that I should both conceive untouched and give birth closed, make known the manner, and you will find my mind ready. For in every way I long for myself to belong to my God; so that I may both have offspring and not lose my modesty. The angel Gabriel relates the manner of the conception, that it would come about by the word of the Saviour. O, he says, Mary, virgin of God, bride of God; beloved of God, daughter of God, mother of God, if you ask of me this manner, how as a virgin you may conceive, as a virgin give birth, and after childbirth remain a virgin, or how He who made you will come to be in you; hear me, and do not be troubled within yourself: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you (Luke 1:34–35). The power of the Most High shall so overshadow you that you shall not suffer the heat of lust, and yet shall be the mother of the Creator.

4. Joseph turbatur. Nescit interea Joseph Mariae sponsus, quid cum ea egerit angelus. Subito Joseph intuitu familiari et licentia maritali aspicit Mariam conjugem suam: vidit in ea tumescentes venas in gutture, et attenuari faciem, postremum vidit eam gressibus gravari; intellexit Mariae uterum gravidari. Turbatur Joseph homo justus, quod Mariam quam

4. Joseph is troubled. Meanwhile Joseph, the betrothed of Mary, does not know what the angel has done with her. Suddenly Joseph, with a familiar gaze and with a husband's freedom, looks upon Mary his wife: he saw in her the veins swelling in her throat, and her face growing thin, and lastly he saw her becoming heavy in her steps; he understood that Mary's womb was with child. Joseph, a just man, is troubled that Mary, whom

Editors' notes and page, col. 2108

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de templo Domini acceperat, et nondum cognoverat, gravidam sentiebat, et quam non meruerat in conjugii honore, jam haberet in confusione; secumque diu aestuans ac disputans, dicit: Unde hoc contigit? quid evenit? Non cognovi, non tetigi; si non tetigi, non violavi; si non violavi, non gravidavi. Heu! heu! quid contigit? quid, putas, evenit? per quem Maria sic cecidit? quem sibi plus quam me adulantem invenit? ego enim cum licentiam haberem maritalem, ante thorum nuptiarum puellarem non vexavi pudorem. Timui, multumque pertimui, quod in illo Mosaico libro Legis sententiali est verbo praefixum: quod quaecumque virgo paternam domum foe⟨d⟩averit adulterio, morienda lapidibus subjacebit: similiter et vir qui pudoris vestimentum patri non detulerit, coramque testibus replicaverit, pudorisque signaculum non demonstraverit, moriendum et ipsi cum virgine erit. Utrosque ergo libidinarios hac Moyses sententia feriri voluit, simulque adulteros perire mandavit. Sic namque ait: Auferetis opprobium de domo Israel; et omnis qui audierit, timebit, et non aget impie (Deut. XXII, 21, 22). Hanc Moy⟨s⟩i sententiam praecavebam, ipsamque luxuriam in meo corpore refrenab⟨a⟩m, maxime quia et David filiam es⟨s⟩e, et regali me fu⟨n⟩ctum sacerdotio praenoscebam. Sed quoniam nihil mirum est, nihil novum, nihil absconsum quod non reveletur, et occultum quod non in publicum veniat, in David regis filia aliquando recolo historiam. David regem in Bethsabee Uriae Cethaei mulierem audacia extulit regalis, nec eum timor terruit maritalis: Mariam David regis filiam cogitatio impulit puellaris, nec eam tenuit terror parentalis. Quid ergo faciam? quid agam? Anxior, gemo, doleo, curro, consilium quaero, nec plenum invenio. Prodo, aut taceo? Quid faciam penitus nescio. Prodo adulterium, aut taceo propter opprobrium? Si prodidero, adulterium quidem non consentio, sed naevum crudelitatis incurro; quia secundum librum Moysi lapidandam esse cognosco. Si tacuero, malum consentio; et cum adulteris portionem meam pono. Quoniam ergo tacere malum est, adulterium prodere pejus est; ne per me fiat homicidium, dimittam tacite conjugium. Cogitavit, inquit, Joseph, sicut Evangelium dicit, occulte dimittere Mariam conjugem suam (Matth I, 19). Cogitavit ut esset alterius, cum jam esset alterius non mentis refragatione, sed fidei conceptione.

he had received from the temple of the Lord and had not yet known, he perceived to be pregnant, and that her whom he had not won in the honour of marriage he now had in disgrace; and long seething and disputing with himself, he says: Whence has this happened? What has come about? I have not known her, I have not touched her; if I have not touched her, I have not violated her; if I have not violated her, I have not made her pregnant. Alas! alas! what has happened? What, do you think, has come about? By whom has Mary fallen thus? Whom has she found flattering her more than I? For although I had a husband's licence, I did not trouble her maidenly modesty before the marriage bed. I feared, and greatly dreaded, what is laid down with a word of sentence in that Mosaic book of the Law: that whatever virgin defiles her father's house with adultery shall be subjected to stones, to die; likewise also the man who does not bring the garment of chastity to the father, and unfold it before witnesses, and does not display the token of chastity, he too must die with the virgin. Moses therefore willed that both the lustful should be struck by this sentence, and at the same time commanded that adulterers should perish. For thus he says: You shall take away the reproach from the house of Israel; and everyone who hears shall fear, and shall not act impiously (Deut. 22:21–22). This sentence of Moses I guarded against, and I reined in that very wantonness in my body, especially because I knew beforehand both that she was a daughter of David and that I discharged a royal priesthood. But since nothing is strange, nothing new, nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and secret that will not come into public, I now call to mind in the daughter of King David the story [of David]. Royal boldness carried away King David to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, nor did fear of the husband deter him: a girlish thought drove Mary, daughter of King David, nor did fear of her parents restrain her. What then shall I do? What shall I undertake? I am in anguish, I groan, I grieve, I run about, I seek counsel, and I find none that is full. Do I betray, or do I keep silent? What I should do I do not know at all. Do I betray the adultery, or keep silent because of the reproach? If I betray it, I do indeed not consent to adultery, but I incur the stain of cruelty, since I know that according to the book of Moses she must be stoned. If I keep silent, I consent to evil, and I place my portion with adulterers. Since therefore keeping silent is evil, and betraying the adultery is worse, lest a killing come about through me, I shall dissolve the marriage silently. Joseph thought, it says, as the Gospel says, to put away Mary his wife secretly (Matt. 1:19). He thought that she belonged to another, when she already belonged to Another, not by resistance of mind, but by a conception of faith.

5. Per Angelum Joseph pacatur. Prophetiae de Maria explicantur. Sed non timeat Maria David illius magni regis filia, quoniam sicut in David veniam contulit sermo prophetalis, sic Mariam liberat angelus Salvatoris. Veni jam, Mater Domini casta, in qua non fuit virilis appetitio, sed Spiritus sancti adimpletio; quam non violavit Joseph vir Judaeus, sed solus impraegnavit omnipotens Deus; quae non es commixta Joseph sponso tuo, nec cognita alicui viro, sed soli omnipotenti Deo. Invoca, Virgo sancta, Dominum tuum David patrem tuum, non illum David adulterio fuscatum, et Uriae Cethaei homicidio divulgatum: sed illum dico David forti manu praeliatum, diu cum diabolo altercatum. Surgat Deus in adjutorium tuum; mittat de coelo angelum suum, et visitet in somnis sponsum tuum. Suspendat judicium Moyses suum, ne Joseph vindicet in adulterium tuum. Parat itaque Joseph animum in tempore, quo Mariam possit occulte dimittere.

5. Joseph is pacified by an angel. Prophecies concerning Mary are explained. But let Mary, daughter of that great king David, not fear, since just as the prophetic word brought pardon to David, so the angel of the Saviour sets Mary free. Come now, chaste Mother of the Lord, in whom there was no male desire, but the fulfilment of the Holy Spirit; whom Joseph, a Jewish man, did not violate, but almighty God alone made pregnant; you who were not joined with Joseph your betrothed, nor known by any man, but by almighty God alone. Call upon, holy Virgin, your Lord David your father, not that David darkened by adultery and made notorious by the killing of Uriah the Hittite, but I mean that David who fought with a strong hand, who long contended with the devil. Let God arise to your help; let Him send His angel from heaven, and visit your betrothed in sleep. Let Moses suspend his judgement, lest Joseph take vengeance on your adultery. So Joseph prepares his mind for the time at which he may put Mary away secretly.

6. Sequitur de eodem argumento. Ecce iterum Virginis ille paranymphus, non homo, sed angelus Gabriel ille conspicuus, coeli cursor aequissimus, medio noctis libramine dicit ad Joseph in visione: Joseph,

6. The same argument continues. Behold again that groomsman of the Virgin, not a man but an angel, that conspicuous Gabriel, the most just courier of heaven, at the balance of midnight says to Joseph in a vision: Joseph,

Editors' notes and page, col. 2109

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(1) ‹anchor: not visible on the foot image› · call in col 2109

Mss. potiores, post verbum, sentiebat, subdunt, secumque diu, etc., omissis verbis intermediis.

The better manuscripts, after the word "sentiebat" (he perceived), add "secumque diu" (and long with himself), etc., leaving out the words in between.

(printed under page 317)

(2) ‹anchor: not visible on the foot image› · call in col 2109

In Mss. nonnullis, et regale sacerdotium praenoscebam. In editis autem, quia David filium me esse sciebam.

In some manuscripts: "and I foreknew the royal priesthood." But in the printed editions: "because I knew I was a child of David."

(printed under page 317)

(3) ‹anchor: sed naevum› · call in col 2109

Mss. vetustiores, necem. At. n., nefas.

The older manuscripts: "necem" (death). At. n.: "nefas" (sacrilege).

(printed under page 317)

(4) ‹anchor: cum jam esset alterius› · call in col 2109

Ita Mss. potiores. Quidam alii, ut esset adultera. Editi adulterii rea. In n. codice, id esset adulterium, cum jam esset mysterium.

So the better manuscripts. Some others: "that she was an adulteress." The printed editions: "guilty of adultery." In codex n.: "that it was adultery, when it was already a mystery."

(printed under page 317)

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PL 39:2110

inquit, fili David, cur tantum tribularis, quid multum contristaris, cur In somno cogitando desudas, cur vigilando tristis ambulas, cur de Maria malam tibi ingeris suspicionem, cum ipsa tibi generatura sit Salvatorem? Aufer zelotypiae animum; qui nascetur ex ea, ipse est qui impraegnavit eam. Ideo enim, Joseph, tristis est anima tua, quia quaecumque legisti in prophetia, non intellexisti in Maria. Hinc est omnis tristitia tua, quod sponsam tuam nondum cognoveris, et gravidam sentis, nec aliud in ea nisi adulterium suspicaris. Joseph, fili David, natus ex genere sacerdotali, non solum sacerdotali, verum etiam et regali, filius Prophetarum, socius Scribarum: ille Deus qui scripsit mirabilia in Lege sua, ipse fecit mirabilia in conjuge tua. Quid autem sunt Dei mirabilia, nisi quae hominibus sunt impossibilia? Mirabilia ergo Dei in Lege non legisti? Quod si etiam legisti, quare non intellexisti? Ipsa certe, Lex quam quotidie legis, sine graphio scripta est in tabulis lapideis. Lege et intellige quod panem in eremo terra produxerit, cujus semen in terra arator nullus induxit. Virga etiam Aaron annis sicca quam plurimis sine aqua revixit, in templo floruit, nucesque clausa sub tecto produxit. Ergo qui scripsit lapideas tabulas sine stilo ferreo, ipse gravidavit Mariam Spiritu sancto: et qui produxit panem in eremo sine seminatore, ipse fecundavit Virginem sine corruptione: et qui fecit virgam sino pluvia germinare, ipse fecit filiam David sine semine generare. Postremo, Joseph filius David, filius Prophetarum, non legisti Isaiam eximium Prophetarum quid dixerit, quemadmodum scripserit, Ecce virgo in utero accipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel (Isai. VII, 14)? Quod ergo legisti in Libris tuis, aspice in Maria oculis tuis: ut digne dicas canticum David patris tui, Sicut audivimus, ita et vidimus in civitate Domini virtutum, in civitate Dei nostri (Psal. XLVII, 9). Accipe ergo Mariam conjugem tuam, semper de ea securus, et in nullo sis sollicitus: quia quod conceptum est in ejus utero, non est de peccato, sed de Spiritu sancto; et qui nascetur ex ejus utero, non vocabitur filius Judaei, sed vocabitur Filius Dei. Habe ergo, Joseph, cum Maria conjuge tua communem virginitatem membrorum; quia de virginibus membris Virtus nascitur Angelorum. Sit Maria sponsa Christi carnis suae virginitate servata; sis autem et tu pater Christi cura castitatis, et honorificentia virginitatis: ut de virginibus membris generetis saeculis christianis sponsum virginitatis et maritum castitatis, communem singulis virginibus et maritatis, in quo nulla sit zelotypia; quia virginitas salutatione impraegnata est in Maria. Magnum meri⟨t⟩um virginitatis, fratres. Virginitas Mariae angeli salutatione est impraegnata, a Joanne de utero est salutata, et generans virginitas Mariae ab Angelis est hodie collaudata, et lactans virginitas Mariae per stellam de coelo est praedicata, et a Magis muneribus honorata. Gaude itaque, Joseph, nimiumque congaude virginitati Mariae, quia solus meruisti virginale possidere conjugium: quia per meritum virginitatis ita separatus es a concubitu uxoris, ut pater dicaris Salvatoris, qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

he says, son of David, why are you so troubled, why are you so greatly saddened, why do you sweat with thinking in your sleep, why do you walk about sad when awake, why do you heap upon yourself an evil suspicion about Mary, when she is going to bear the Saviour for you? Put away a jealous mind; He Who will be born of her is Himself the One Who has made her pregnant. For this is why, Joseph, your soul is sad: because whatever you have read in prophecy, you have not understood in Mary. Hence comes all your sadness, that you have not yet known your betrothed, and you perceive her to be pregnant, and you suspect nothing else in her but adultery. Joseph, son of David, born of a priestly line, not only priestly but also royal, son of the Prophets, companion of the Scribes: that God Who wrote wonders in His Law has Himself worked wonders in your wife. But what are the wonders of God, except things that are impossible for men? Have you then not read the wonders of God in the Law? And if you have indeed read them, why have you not understood them? Certainly the very Law which you read daily was written without a stylus on tablets of stone. Read and understand that the earth produced bread in the desert, whose seed no ploughman put into the ground. The rod of Aaron, too, dry for very many years, revived without water, blossomed in the temple, and, shut up under a roof, brought forth nuts. Therefore He Who wrote the stone tablets without an iron stylus has Himself made Mary pregnant by the Holy Spirit; and He Who produced bread in the desert without a sower has Himself made the Virgin fruitful without corruption; and He Who made the rod sprout without rain has Himself made the daughter of David bring forth without seed. Lastly, Joseph son of David, son of the Prophets, have you not read what Isaiah, most eminent of the Prophets, said, how he wrote, Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel (Isa. 7:14)? What, then, you have read in your Books, behold in Mary with your own eyes, so that you may worthily say the song of David your father, As we have heard, so also have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God (Ps. 47:9). Take, therefore, Mary your wife, always secure concerning her, and be anxious in nothing: for what has been conceived in her womb is not of sin but of the Holy Spirit; and He Who will be born of her womb will not be called the son of a Jew, but will be called the Son of God. Keep, therefore, Joseph, with Mary your wife a common virginity of the body; for from virginal members the Power of the Angels is born. Let Mary be the bride of Christ, the virginity of her flesh preserved; and you too be the father of Christ by care for chastity and by the honour of virginity: so that from virginal members you may bring forth for the Christian ages the Bridegroom of virginity and the Husband of chastity, common to each of the virgins and of the married, in Whom there is no jealousy; for virginity was made pregnant in Mary by a greeting. Great is the merit of virginity, brethren. The virginity of Mary was made pregnant by the greeting of an angel, was greeted by John from the womb; and the virginity of Mary in bringing forth is today praised by the Angels; and the virginity of Mary in giving suck was proclaimed from heaven by a star, and honoured by the Magi with gifts. Rejoice, therefore, Joseph, and rejoice exceedingly with the virginity of Mary, for you alone have merited to possess a virginal marriage: for by the merit of virginity you are so separated from intercourse with your wife that you are called the father of the Saviour, Who lives and reigns for ages of ages. Amen.

Editors' notes and page, col. 2110

Footnotes

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(no footnotes called in this unit's text in col 2110; the notes (a) and (b) at the foot of page 317 are called in the title of Sermon 196, a later unit, and are not set here)

(printed under page 317)