On the Annunciation (Homily I) · §7 · Gregory Thaumaturgus

Why the angel first said “Hail, full of grace”

Fittingly, then, the Angel announced first of all to the holy Virgin Mary that word: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you (Luke 1:28), since the whole treasure of grace was stored up with her. For of all the generations this Virgin alone was holy in body and in spirit (1 Corinthians 7:34), and she alone carries Him who carries all things by His word (Hebrews 1:3). And it is not only the beauty of that most holy one in body that fills us with wonder, but also the virtues of her soul.

Latin

Convenienter igitur Angelus sanctae Mariae virgini, primo omnium, illud, Ave gratia plena, Dominus tecum, praesignificavit: quoniam cum ipsa totus gratiae thesaurus reconditus erat. Ex omnibus enim generationibus, haec sola virgo, sancta corpore et spiritu extitit; solaque fert eum, qui verbo omnia portat. Et non solum admirationem nobis parit, sanctissimae illius in corpore pulchritudo; sed et virtutes animae eius.

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About this text

Gregory Thaumaturgus, On the Annunciation: the first sermon, in a fresh English translation. Three sermons survive; this volume covers the first only.

Gregory Thaumaturgus (c. 213–c. 270) was Origen's most famous pupil and the apostle of Pontus. Much else was later published under his name.

The Homilies on the Annunciation celebrate Gabriel's visit to Mary — David's oracle, the angel's greeting, and Mary's reply. They are transmitted under Gregory's name, though scholars generally count them the work of a later hand.

This volume holds the whole First Discourse, from the joy of the day through Gabriel's message and Mary's reply. The second and third discourses are not translated here.

Part only: Homily I

Fresh English translation of the whole first sermon from the Latin column of the Opera omnia print (Paris, 1622) (printed pp.

Printed text used

Translated from Opera omnia, Greek and Latin (Paris: Sonnius, Morel and Cramoisy, 1622), page images (Latin column (Greek damaged))
Also checked Archive DjVu machine-read text (Latin/Greek mixed machine-read text)
Translated from Latin opening (Latin)

Where the prints differ

Sermo I — Long-s and column joins expanded from the Latin face; Greek face left aside as damaged machine-read text.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Latin on any section, or the Latin source link, to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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