Theophilos of Landra | Theophile of Landra | Theofil of Landra or of Libado (aka Theoteknos of Livias?) on the Assumption of Mary

Some thoughts and comparison between the Arabic homily attributed to "Theophilos of Landra," seemingly a Coptic author, and the Greek homily attributed to "Theoteknos of Livias."

Title/Citation: 

HOMILY FOR THE 16TH OF MESORÉ, THEOPHILOS OF LANDRA

Ms. Vatican Arabic 698; ff 41v-48v.

For the contents of the manuscript (which also includes two other assumption-related works), see the link (link to contents)(direct link to manuscript).  I'm extremely indebted to the work of Pilar González Casado, who in 2013, provided the edited Arabic and a Spanish translation (link to thesis, of relevance are pp. 316-325 for the Arabic, pp. 529-536 for the Spanish). 

By contrast, the Greek is found in Sinait. gr. 491, 4. 238r-246r, and includes the Protoevangelium of James and the Legend of Galbius and Candidus, see the link (link to contents)(direct link to manuscript).  The Greek (with a French translation) is also published by A. Wenger (L'assomption De La T.s. Vierge Dans La Tradition Byzantine Du Vie Au Xe Siecle: Etudes Et Documents Broché (1955), on whom Daley's translation in On the Dormition of Mary (1998) seems to be fully dependent.  It is Wenger's Greek (and French) and Daley's English that I refer to whenever referencing the Greek version.  The Greek version lists the author as Theoteknos of Livias.  I'm referring to both the Greek and the Arabic as "versions," although perhaps Greek was the original and the Greek manuscript should therefore be thought of as a copy, not a version.   

Prologue:

0. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Let us begin with the help of the Most High God and with his best assistance to write a homily that was delivered by the holy Theophilos, bishop of Landra, about the assumption into heaven of the pure body of the Virgin, holy Mary, Mother of God, our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God. May her intercession be with us, amen. It is read on the 16th of Mesoré [...] the peace of God, amen.

This prologue is not found in the Greek version.  

Text:

1. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! Because of the Resurrection of the Lord, Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior, everyone rejoiced. Let us rejoice now, let us glorify him with eternal spiritual glory, and praise the One who fulfilled his plan for our salvation.

There is a very similar sentence in the Greek, although the working out of the plan is here placed in the past, rather than as an ongoing thing in the Greek.

[He who], after his pure incarnation taken from the holy Virgin Mary, after his Resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven, and sitting at the right hand of his Father, from whom he had never been separated, after the passing of time, sent all his holy apostles along with the Most Pure, so that they would be informed of the promise destined for her on high.

A reference to Mary never having known marital union is present in the Greek, though not shown here.  Also the first sentence of the next paragraph is part of the end the sentence above in the Greek.

She who is higher than the heavens and more exalted than the seraphim was raised to heaven. If He granted and prepared the Kingdom of Heaven for his saints and also opened paradise to the thief on the right, by a single word, how much more [would he do for] her who was worthy to be his dwelling, since He chose to incarnate from her.

Wider is used rather than "higher" in the Greek, and consistently the reference seems to be to cherubim in the Greek, rather than seraphim.  Interestingly, the supplied material bracketed material is matched in the French/English, although Daley waxes poetic inserting a sense of eagerness that seems unnecessary.  

Against the Devil, prince of evil, who caused Eve to transgress, He unleashed all his power. Through Mary, by her, all the women upon whom he had cast the curse, have attained freedom; for as the apostle Paul said, they have been saved by the motherhood of this holy, this holy virgin, praised, pure, and worthy of all joy.

Seemingly minor differences here, with the "worthy of joy" and "praise" being pushed forward relative to the Arabic.

She became a mother and pure virgin, without stain. She nursed with milk the one who made water spring from a rock and who needs no food. She embraced in her arms her Creator, who was her son without having known a man [and who] deserved this for us. She became a seraphim created from pure and spotless clay.

The Spanish and apparently also the Arabic here have an interesting characteristic that they present Mary as becoming a seraphim, rather than beginning as one.  

The Greek also has Γίνεται (Ginetai), which is most naturally translated as "become."  Daley seems to follow Wenger's French, naît, although adopting the Arabic "clay" reading that Wenger notes in an addendum.

6 She is born [pure and immaculate, like the cherubim]. Indeed, while she was still in the hips of her father Joachim, her mother Anne received the announcement from a holy angel in these terms: “Your posterity will be celebrated throughout the universe”. Therefore Hannah presented her to the temple of the Lord. And during the entire time of her stay, the Virgin stood near the King Christ, at his right, in a garment woven with gold, like a shimmering apparition (of grace), according to the words of the prophet: “Listen, my daughter, look and give ear; forget your people and your father's house and the king will be enamored of your beauty. Since he is your Lord, bow down to him”.

I suspect that Wenger's reason for "born" and Daley's reason for "begotten" is because of the context appearing to relate to the beginning of Mary's life.  Between the two, "begotten," has the advantage polemically of sounding a bit like conception, and the advantage contextually of linking more specifically to Joachim's role.  That said, the "born" or "begotten" is a slender reed for the Immaculists, because it breaks if they put too much weight on it, as both the Greek and Arabic suggest a change from a previous state.  

When she was under the care of Joachim, her father, and Anna, her mother, an angel announced to them: "Your offspring will be spoken of throughout the world. For this reason, offer her to the temple of God forever."

This version replaces being "in the loins" of Joachim with being under the care of both parents.  This is an odd change, as the angel's announcement in the Protoevangelium of James is definitely in the former case, not the latter case.  Moreover, the seeming quotation has likewise been altered relative to PoJ.  In substance, though, the sentence corresponds.

It happened to the Virgin as it had been said, for the Virgin stands at the right hand of God, the King, dressed in gold; as the prophet David said: "Listen, daughter, and see; incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house. The king longed for your beauty, for he is your lord, before him you shall bow."

Rather than "Christ the King," this version has "God, the King," a change that makes more sense in the supposed historic context.

She deserves ineffable joy, therefore the prophets predicted: "Sorrow and joy will pass through her heart [when she] sees that a man has been born without the involvement of a man and with divine intervention."

This version replaces the sword with sorrow.

According to the explanation of the prophet, He who is unseen, was seen. The immeasurable one was in the house of our poverty with the tax collectors, stood like a slave before Pilate, was hung on the cross and was in a sealed tomb, and despite all this, He was not separated from the Father by reason of His conception. Therefore, the Virgin came to be in great tribulation and truly the spear of doubt entered her soul.

This version seems to improve on the comparison to the publicans, enhancing the contrast.  This version also adds the part about "and despite all this, He was not separated from the Father by reason of His conception."

This version is also more explicit in saying that the spear (presumably for "sword") of doubt entered Mary's soul.

But she also rejoiced at the Resurrection, for behold, she saw the Resurrection and the Ascension to heaven of Him who was born from her womb, incarnated in a body without the involvement of a man. He is seated next to the Father. Therefore, joy and gladness came to her.

Seems very similar to the Greek, except that a reference to "the blameless one" is omitted.

This deserved the holy one who gave birth to this Son: she saw Him ascend on high upon a lofty throne; before Him every knee bends in heaven and on earth, every tongue praises Him, and He will come to judge the living and the dead; she also deserved to be carried [to the tomb] by the holy apostles, for she is the mother of all; as the only Son of God called the disciples "brothers," because they are His brothers in terms of the holy body, not in terms of divinity. May the pure, holy, and chaste dwelling of God be glorified, from which the blessed divine Light shines!

The Greek omits the explanation for why the disciples are called "brothers."

After the apostles and angels placed the body on the earth, with glory and praise, it was raised to heaven with the soul [...] to God.

Similar in the Greek.

If the Lord, seeing the disciples sad at the time of His passion, told them, "I am going to prepare a place for you," how could He not prepare a place for His Mother, who is greater than all, [who] means more to Him than all creatures [and] who is pure, without stain!

Daley seems to have inserted a "right of access" into the English,, but otherwise the content seems similar, although the Arabic seems to add the gloss that his mother means more to him.

The holy soul and body were raised together to heaven by the angels with praise and with honor. If as a girl she accepted food from the angels in the temple of God, how could she not deserve to be served by the celestial powers, since she was the dwelling of the Lord!

Similar to the Greek.

The holy Virgin pleased God the Father, the holy Virgin pleased the Son, the eternal Word, begotten by the Father before all ages, the Virgin pleased the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who makes all things pleasing, maker of everything and of the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. If Enoch, as he pleased God, was taken up so that he would not see death, how could the soul with the body of her who served the divine grace not reach the bliss of paradise, where the divine light always shines!

Similar to the Greek.  However, at this point in the text, it seems that the Arabic pages may have been slightly shuffled, as the next few paragraphs (on Arabic sheets 44r-44v) should be (assuming the Greek to be correct) after the material at Arabic sheets 45r-45v.  The Greek order makes more sense than the Arabic order, and the Arabic order is "fixed" by simply swapping the position of a single folio of the Arabic.  

Indeed, the holy apostles were present, and the apostle Paul carried the body with them from Mount Zion to a village called Gethsemane, where the Savior was betrayed. There too will be the place of judgment, where the books will be opened, the Ancient of Days will sit, and the river of fire will cause the weeping of sinners. Every day we await the judgment there to give account to the Son of God, because the Ancient of Days gave him the judgment, and because the Lord promised his disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

Transposed material starts here.  This is the same as the Greek although it specifically calls out that the sinners will be weeping.

They carried the body of the holy one with all honor and with angelic glory to the honored place. The Jews, those who oppose God, the Lord, approached when they saw in that hidden place the venerable body laid upon the bier. They went with the people cunningly to insult that body honored by God in the temple, where the seven lamps that do not go out are, in which pure oil lights the altar of burnt offerings to show us the Holy of Holies.

Similar to the Greek.

The Virgin was snatched away and disappeared from the sight of all of them.

There is a difference from the Greek here, in that this proposes that Mary was removed, whereas the Greek merely proposes that the attackers were struck blind.  The Arabic sense does not seem to fit well contextually, as the remainder of the context suggests she was still on the bier.

Any hand of the Jews that touched the bier was cut off and torn. Therefore, the exalted body became praised. All of them believed and prostrated themselves before the Mother of God, even those who denigrated her, began to glorify her as the Mother of God. Their intentions fell apart upon contemplating the wonders, that is, the marvels of God that were manifested because of the Mother of the Lord. An immeasurable miracle occurred when those two hands were cut off and all believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, born of her, and in her.

Similar to the Greek.  Daley (with Wenger) inserts the healing of the hands as somehow implied by the text (and presumably based on the accounts on which this account is based).

There the one who is of David according to the flesh was manifested, so that they would not be unbelieving like those who now hesitate. Just as that holy body performed the miracle, in the body of the Mother of God continues the incorrupt virginity, as now deserves this indescribable Ark in which is the jar of manna and Aaron's rod from which the fruit sprouted.

The "those who now hesitate" is couched more as an answer to an objection that this is impossible in the Greek, but the overall point seems about the same.  This ends the sheet that was out of order.

If the prophet Elijah, in a chariot of fire, was raised to heaven by the command of the Lord, how could she not be raised [to heaven], the one extolled by the prophets?

Now we return to the flow of the text having talked about Enoch.  This is similar to the Greek.

These prophesied her gift of beatitude, for just as the moon shines among the stars, so she shines among the prophets, as she deserved, and all the angels of heaven rush to serve her.

Similar to the Greek.

Although she tasted death, the body did not decompose nor was it reached by corruption or transformation, and it was preserved. With the pure soul, she was raised to heaven by the holy angels and the powers. She was more exalted than Enoch, than Elijah, than all the prophets, than the apostles, and than the heavens; for in her only is God who chose her.

While the Greek affirms that Mary is below God, the Arabic seems to justify her being above everything else because God was in her.

All this God arranged for our salvation. Divinity is not located in any place, it is not encompassed by knowledge and its dignity is indescribable. The Lord, the Word, chose to incarnate in her, as the prophet had said: "The Lord said you are my Son, today I have begotten you." He is with us today, [and] makes known to us that he assumed our flesh from the holy and was conceived without the involvement of a man.

The portion beginning "The Lord, the Word ..." begins a gap in the Greek, which Daley has filled in using the Arabic.  Thus, the differences here are merely translation differences.

He also said: "In the womb before the morning star I have begotten you." It means that He was begotten by the Father before all time, was blessed by the Holy Spirit, existed from the beginning, and will exist.

The final portion of the "existed from the beginning and will exist" (as found in the Spanish) differs somewhat from Wenger's French and (consequently, one presumes) Daley's English.  

The text in question comes from 45v of the Arabic manuscript, which reads (including the next line to be safe):

According to my translation, this should be:

(45) Before the morning star I gave birth to you, meaning his birth from the Father before all ages, and he prayed with the Holy Spirit for what was from the beginning and what was destined to happen. The ascension of the body of the saint and its ascension to heaven took place on fifteen days of Augustus, which is the sixteenth of the month of Misra, and it was joy...

This suggests that the Wenger/Daley version is a bit closer to the Arabic sense.

The assumption of the body of the holy one and her ascent to heaven was on August 15, which is the 16th of the month of Mesoré. 

This portion, taken from the Arabic by Daley, is naturally the same.  However, it should be noted that the "month of Mesoré" refers to a Coptic month.  The wording of the Arabic translation seems to suggest that originally the work was written by a someone not Coptic, and hence the August 15 date needed to be converted to the Coptic calendar.

The heavens and the earth rejoiced, the angels sang psalms, and men praised the mother of the heavenly King who gave the Messiah to mankind. Glory to the pure Mother of God, to the Ark full of glory, to the unsplit Rock, to the Fountain of Life who is the Messiah who says: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink"! May He be praised as He deserves! I can say that this most Pure and entirely holy woman, if she was rejected in the world when she was with the body on the earth, in heaven she came to resemble the cherubim.

With the angelic songs, we return to a comparison between the Greek and Arabic.  The "Ark full of Glory" is "the three-storied ark" in the Greek.  The Greek has just that she conversed with the angels, not that she came to resemble them.  However, such coming to resemble them would explain the previous comment about her becoming like the cherubim.

She ascended with the angels, and she is the intercessor for men before the pure King, who has forgiven the sentence decreed against us.

Daley's English has "ambassador" rather than "intercessor," though one wonders which is closer to the author's intended sense.

Her body is honored and praised by the Psalms and by the voices of the prophets. Her teachings are found in the Law [from where] they were taken, as happened to the prophet Moses in relation to those who, rejecting grace, opposed God, doubting or being hypocritical.

Once again, at this point, we encounter a re-ordering of the pages, which seems to be resolved if what is now Arabic folio 46 should have been before Arabic folio 45.  The phrase "doubting or being hypocritical" replaces "enemies of God" in the Greek. 

Now Moses tells them: "The Lord our God will raise up a prophet like me," that is, God and man at the same time, since Moses was considered God by Pharaoh. Then he said to them: "Listen to him in everything he speaks to you, for anyone who does not listen will perish."

A reference to the "O unbelieving ones" is omitted by the Arabic, but otherwise this seems similar.

Mary was not glorified by her people, being her brother. She has said who [that] Moses was and even that he was God and man, for the Lord was born from Mary. God became man and they did not accept [his] manifestation. However, they will see it. It will happen to you that you will see what you have not seen: God coming gloriously on the clouds of heaven. Then they will accept [her who is] of the lineage of David and will glorify her saying: "You are of our race and of our flesh, now we know that you are more exalted than the exalted beings of heaven, and that you have become the spouse of the heavenly King."

The phrase "God became man and they did not accept [his] manifestation" seems to be omitted in the Greek. On the other hand, the Arabic omits: "Then they will be converted, and will beat their breasts and call her blessed, along with Anna, the bosom that nursed her."

Now we know what the prophets preached about you and among them there was one who said of you: "He descends upon you like the dew on the fleece." Another called you the moon of your sky saying: "The sun rose and the moon remained with its form." It means that the Messiah was born from her and her virginity remained as it was.

The Arabic omits several Scriptural quotations found in the Greek here, specifically Isaiah 7:14 (a virgin shall conceive), Ezekiel 44:10 (a gate looks to the East), and Daniel 2:34 (holy stone cut from a mountain) before the moon reference.  

Truly, the fools have gone astray, they have been ignorant and have ruined their lives! It happened that they were extinguished because they slandered and did not accept the Sun of the earth that has this gift. It also refers to her the smoke that the prophet Isaiah saw when he beheld the Lord sitting on the throne of his glory, and [the beings] with six wings resonated saying: "Holy, holy, holy!" and they glorified him; when he saw that house filled with smoke. That house was an example, and now we understand what the prophets wrote for us.

The Greek contains a reference to the Protoevangelium's "fruit of righteousness," which is not found in the Arabic.  The Arabic, meanwhile, has "It happened that they were extinguished because they slandered and did not accept the Sun of the earth that has this gift."

But what now happens, in our opinion, is this: he who does not confess the Messiah before men, the Messiah will not recognize him before his Father. All of us, however, confess the Messiah, praise his Father, glorify the Holy Spirit, and sing to the Mother of God. We come with the angels praising her to celebrate the feast of the tribes, let us invoke her!

I did not find this invocation of Mary in the Greek, although frankly the jumping back and forth between places may have created some confusion.  We now jump back (in the Greek) to the earlier section, where there seems to be mention of invoking the name of God.  

How much better is now this immeasurable ark, which from the beginning had the favor of God! This now is the ark, the vessel, the throne, and the heaven! This is the one the Holy Scriptures have deemed worthy; of her spoke the prophet Daniel; in her all these things have been revealed and also the veiled face, which we have clearly seen, praised be God!, and for her sake the prophet Moses covered himself with the veil.

The text is a somewhat similar to the Greek here, although some of the phrasing is more different than in other places.  For example, "immeasurable" is not a characteristic of the ark in the Greek and the reference to "from the beginning" having "the favor of God" is not something I could pin down from the Greek.

Her body was guarded by the holy disciples and kept by God through them, so that they were favored on the way, namely Peter and Paul who, although they had offended the Lord's name, gave testimony with their deeds, found themselves amid a great noise and within a great earthquake, saw the body of the holy and Virgin ascending to heaven with the Messiah, so that a prominent place might be prepared for the intercessor next to her Son, so that she might live there with the archangels, with the multitude of prophets and with the apostles, gathered next to the teacher and prophetess who is the joy of all virgins, who sought her Son's house and found it, as it is written in the Song, and [sought him also] in the walls there are by the mountains, like Aaron, in the likeness of the allusion to the gazelles, in the likeness of the first glance and in the likeness of the camels, which longed for the springs of water and did not find them in the pastures. She found Eve, the strayed. She found Adam who had lost himself through his disobedience. You said: "Live and come," so that the Word of God might enter into him, so that he might live in him and open paradise.

While this is somewhat the same as the Greek, the description of her as "intercessor" seems to have been added, and a Scriptural citation of Song of Solomon 4:10 "Breath on my garden," is omitted.  The Greek "Advocate" is replaced by "Word of God." 

The comforting Paraclete offered his mercy to receive the thief saying: "Amen, amen, I tell you truly, you will be with me today in paradise." Woe to you, who marvel at this event, that a thief goes to paradise and that the priests are excluded from it! They do not even dare to look at it, because the spear of fire guards the way back to Life, while the good thief approaches it. Meanwhile, those who knew the Law and studied it were deprived of grace and cast out, so that they would not be praised by their races.

"Spear" for "sword" of course.  The explicit references to the Paraclete is perhaps a better alignment for the "Advocate" (as the meaning is related) mentioned in the previous section.  This also ends the out-of-order material. 

The feasts of the assumption to heaven of the glorious body of the Virgin [are because] He shone on earth thanks to the good and teacher Virgin.

This definitely refers to an assumption of the body, not merely the spirit, in a way that the Greek does not.  

In heaven, she has become the intercessor for all, she has become distinguished with God, has received an excellent spiritual gift, has given the word of grace and the knowledge of wisdom, because she comes from Wisdom, which is found on the paths and speaks publicly in the alleys and in the assemblies, saying [Wisdom]: "He is our Lord and our God, Jesus, the Messiah, the incomprehensible Wisdom and the unending source." He took the body of the Virgin, was the fruit of her womb, without her losing virginity.

This seems similar to the Greek.

This is the Mother of the Messiah who says: "He who believes, as the Scripture says, from his inner being shall flow rivers of living water." It alludes to that water which the prophet asked for in his thirst; just like the camels long for the springs of water, so Lord! my soul longs for you.

It is interesting that "deer" have become "camels" in the process (presumably) of translation.

"And He speaks publicly in the alleys," he travels the world, heads towards the mystery, and brings peace to the world.

Similar to the Greek.

The Messiah, who is our peace, says to his disciples: "My peace I leave to you so that you may give it to each other." This signifies the love for one another, for He died because of them and for them.

Although it discusses similar themes, here the Arabic seems to provide a different explanation of the peace of Christ.

This is the peace of which the prophet said: "He loves peace and truth": referring to the Messiah. This land of which he speaks is the Mother of God, from whom has shone and has manifested our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, who says: "I am the Truth and the Life"

"He loves peace and truth" is not cited in the Greek version and Psalm 84:11 and John 14:6 are presented in the Arabic, but not the Greek. "This land" picks back up to the same aligned message as the Greek.

The prophet also says: "Our land shall also yield its fruit." Now the womb of our Lady has given its fruit in its time, which is the bread that never consumes nor is exhausted, the Messiah, who says: "I am the bread of Life, he who eats of it will live and he who drinks my blood will have eternal life. For my flesh is true food." This fruit that our land has given us is the virgin Mother, who is ours and of the entire world, the Lady of all, who knows the thoughts of all and comforts everyone.

After "This fruit that our land has given us is the virgin Mother" the Arabic again parts ways with the Greek.  The Greek suggests Mary is some kind of "universal providence" and "an unassailable fortification" but does not mention her being "the Lady of all" or knowing everyone's thoughts nor yet comforting everyone.

Concluding Thoughts:

Apparently, there is a second Arabic manuscript of this sermon in the collection of the Coptic Monastery of Saint Macarius (Dayr Qiddīs Anbā Maqqār) in Wadi Natrun, Egypt, namely "Saint Macaire 381 (Hag. 15)," (see the discussion here and also here, which mentions that the same author may also be known as Theophile de Landra or de Labidu) which does not appears to be digitized yet (see this news announcement).  I have not in any way reviewed that manuscript, though I would - of course - be very interested in any light it might shed on the text of this sermon.

Simon Claude Mimouni (link) agrees with my reordering of the folios of the Arabic manuscript.  Unfortunately, Pilar González Casado seems not to have noticed or been aware of this issue, perhaps because Mimouni is in French.  Zanetti's inventory of the monastery's manuscripts likewise does not seem to have been consulted by the otherwise helpful Pilar González Casado.

Appendix I: Greek of Wenger (sections 1-6 only) with new English Translation

Θεοτέκνου ἐπισκόπου Λιβιάδος ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὴν ἀνάλημψιν τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου. 

1 «῎Αισατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἄσμα καινὸν ὅτι θαυμαστὰ ἐποίησεν». Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντες ἀγαλλιάσει ἠγαλλιασάμεθα ᾄσμασιν πνευματικοῖς, δοξολογοῦντες τὸν πάντα οἰκονομήσαντα διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν. 

2 Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον καὶ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδ [ραν] , ὁ ἀχώριστος τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς κολποῖς, μετὰ τ[ῆς] ἀχράντου σαρκὸς ἣν ἔλαβεν ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς ἁγίας [θεοτόκου] , || διὰ νεφελῶν πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς καὶ ἀποστόλους ἐπισυνήγαγεν πρὸς τὴν ἄχραντον καὶ ἀπειρόγαμον καὶ ἁγνήν, ἐπισυνάξας πρὸς αὐτὴν λαβεῖν τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως καὶ ἀναληφθῆναι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τὴν πλατυτέραν τῶν οὐρανῶν γενομένην καὶ ἀνωτέραν τῶν χερουβίν. 

3 [Εἰ ] γὰρ τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν έχαρίσατο καὶ λῃστῇ διὰ μιᾶς φωνῆς παράδει[σ]ον ἠνέωξεν, πόσῳ μᾶλ[λ]ον τὴν δανείσασαν αὐτῷ [τ]ὸ οἰκητήριον τῆς νηδύ[ος], ἣν αὐτὸς ἐδημιούργη[σεν], ἣν αὐτὸς ἔπλασεν, [ἐξ ἧς] ἐσαρκώθη, ὡς ... || 

4 ἵνα δι ̓ ἧς ἠπάτησεν ὁ ἀρχέκακος, δι ̓ αὐτῆς καταλύσῃ τὸ κράτος αὐτοῦ καὶ δι ̓ αὐτῆς πᾶσαι αἱ γυναῖκες ἧς εἶχον κατάρας ἐλευθερίας τύχωσιν · «Σωθήσεται γάρ, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας». 

5 Ταύτην τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ πάγκοσμον, τήν σεμνὴν καὶ πάσης χαρᾶς ἠξιωμένην, τὴν μητέρα καί παρθένον, τὴν ἁγνὴν καὶ ἀμίαντον, τὴν γαλακτοτροφήσασαν τὸν πηγάσα[ν]τα μέλι ἐκ πέτρας, τὸν ἀπροσδεῆ τροφῆς ἀγκ[ά]λαις ἐπετιθηνήσατο καὶ τὸν αὐτῆς δημιουρ[γὸν] υἱὸν ἀσπόρως ἐξ αὐτῆς [ἠ]ξιώθη προσενεγκεῖν. 

6 Γίνεται χερουβικῶς ἡ ἐκ π ..... || καθαροῦ καὶ ἀσπίλου. Ετι γὰρ ἐν τῇ ὀσφύει τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπάρχουσα τοῦ Ἰωακείμ, Ἄννα ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῆς ἐξ ἀγγέλου ἁγίου εὐηγγελίσθη λέγοντος πρὸς αὐτήν · «Καὶ λαληθήσεται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ » . Διό προσήνεγκεν αὐτὴν τῷ ναῷ Κυρίου . Καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον αὐτῆς παρισταμένη παρίστατο ἡ παρθένος τῷ βασιλεῖ Χριστῷ ἐκ δεξιῶν ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη , κα[θ]ώς λέγει ὁ προφήτης [« Α]κουσον , θύγατερ , καὶ ἰδὲ καὶ [κλ]ῖνον τὸ οὖς σου καὶ ἐπι[λά]θου τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ [οἴκ]ου τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ ἐπι[θυμή]σει ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ [κάλλους σου ὅτι αὐτό]ς ἐστιν ὁ || κύριός σου καὶ προσκυνήσεις αὐτῷ » .

Title: Encomium to the Ascension of the Holy Theotokos by Bishop Theoteknos of Livias.

1 "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things." Indeed, in the resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, we all rejoiced and celebrated with spiritual songs, praising Him who has arranged everything for our salvation.

2 After His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to the heavens and His sitting at the right hand [of God], He, who is inseparable from the bosom of God the Father, with the unblemished flesh He took from Mary the Holy Theotokos, gathered all His holy disciples and apostles through clouds to the unblemished, unwed, and pure one, gathering them to her to receive the prize of the higher calling and to be taken up in the heavens, having become broader than the heavens and higher than the cherubim.

3 For if He granted His saints the entire kingdom of heaven and opened paradise to a thief with a single phrase, how much more so the one who lent Him the dwelling of her womb, which He Himself created, which He Himself formed, out of which He was incarnated, as ...

4 so that through her whom the arch-evil one deceived, by her he might dissolve his power, and through her all women who had borne curses might gain freedom; "for she shall be saved through childbearing," says the apostle.

5 This holy and universal, venerable and filled with all joy, the mother and virgin, the pure and unblemished, who nourished the one who brought forth honey from the rock, and who, needing no nourishment, was held in her arms, and her son the creator, who was worthily brought forth from her without seed.

6 She has become cherubic from [clay?/father?] pure and spotless. For while still in the loins of her father Joachim, Anna her mother was evangelized by a holy angel saying to her: "And your seed shall be spoken of throughout the whole world." Therefore, she presented her to the temple of the Lord. And all the while, the virgin stood clothed in gold-spun garments, richly adorned, as the prophet says, "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house, and the king shall desire your beauty because he is your lord, and you shall worship him."

John of Shanghai and San Francisco aka "St. John the Wonderworker" contra the Immaculate Conception

According to an article by Aidan Kimel (available here), John of Shanghai and San Francisco aka Mikhail Borisovich Maximovitch aka St. John the Wonderworker (June 4, 1896, to July 2, 1966), rejected the immaculate conception on the following grounds:

1. “The teaching of the complete sinlessness of the Mother of God does not correspond to Sacred Scripture, where there is repeatedly mentioned the sinlessness of the One Mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ (I Tim. 2:5); and in Him is no sin (John 3:5); Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth (I Peter 2:22); One that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15); Him Who knew no sin, He made to be sin on our behalf (II Cor. 5:21).”
2. “This teaching contradicts also Sacred Tradition, which is contained in numerous Patristic writings, where there is mentioned the exalted sanctity of the Virgin Mary from Her very birth, as well as Her cleansing by the Spirit at Her conception of Christ, but not at Her own conception by Anna.”
3. “The teaching that the Mother of God was purified before Her birth, so that from Her might be born the Pure Christ, is meaningless; because if the Pure Christ could be born only if the Virgin might be born pure, it would be necessary that Her parents also should be pure of original sin, and they again would have to be born of purified parents, and going further in this way, one would have to come to the conclusion that Christ could not have become incarnate unless all His ancestors in the flesh, right up to Adam inclusive, had been purified beforehand of original sin. But then there would not have been any need for the very Incarnation of Christ, since Christ came down to earth in order to annihilate sin.”
4. “The teaching that the Mother of God was preserved from original sin, as likewise the teaching that She was preserved by God’s grace from personal sins, makes God unmerciful and unjust; because if God could preserve Mary from sin and purify Her before Her birth, then why does He not purify other men before their birth, but rather leaves them in sin?”
5. “This teaching, which seemingly has the aim of exalting the Mother of God, in reality completely denies all Her virtues. After all, if Mary, even in the womb of Her mother, when She could not even desire anything either good or evil, was preserved by God’s grace from every impurity, and then by that grace was preserved from sin even after Her birth, then in what does Her merit consist? If She could have been placed in the state of being unable to sin, and did not sin, then for what did God glorify Her? If She, without any effort, and without having any kind of impulses to sin, remained pure, then why is She crowned more than everyone else. There is no victory without an adversary.”

While I would substantially agree John regarding points 1-3, I tend to disagree with points 4-5.  I don't raise this material to suggest that we should adopt John's view, but rather to emphasize that Russian Orthodoxy (for whom John is a saint) is at least open to a full rejection of the error of the immaculate conception as dogmatized by Rome.

I also wish that what Kimel presents as quotations were provided with a citation.  Since I do not currently have such a citation, I would advise caution.  Another website cited The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God (link) for substantially the same material.  That booklet may contain the quoted subject matter.

Also, recall that the synodical letter of the Council of Jerusalem of 1672 states:

VI. And the sixth, which includeth all human nature under sin, — not only original sin, as our Church confesseth, but also actual and mortal sin, which floweth out therefrom, and which it calleth the fruits thereof, and doth not exempt from this (mortal sin which procureth for those that commit it condemnation) any; neither him that was greatest among those that have been born of women, nor her that was blessed among women, the blameless and ever-virgin Mary, nor certain Forefathers, Prophets, and Apostles, — is, as being foreign to our faith, condemned. 

(source)

Catherine of Siena contra the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) is one of the few female Doctors of the Church in Roman Catholicism.  Suzanne Noffke, O.P. is the editor of a collection of 26 prayers of Catherine of Siena (published by Paulist Press in 1983).  I refer to the translation she provides:

Prayer 16 (lines 10-28)(p. 141):

We are weak because we have received our parents' weak nature. Now parents cannot give their children other than their own, and that nature is inclined to evil because of the rebelliousness of their weak flesh, which they in turn have received from their parents. So our nature is weak and ready for evil evil because we are all descendants and offspring of our first father, Adam, and we have all come from the same clay. Because Adam broke away from you, eternal Father, supreme strength, he became weak. 

Prayer 23 (lines 60-90)(pp. 202-03) 

The eternal Word is given to us through Mary's hands. From Mary's substance he clothed himself in our nature without the stain of original sin-- for that conception was not a man's doing, but the Holy Spirit's. The same was not true of Mary, because she came forth from Adam's clay by a man's doing, not the Holy Spirit's. And since that whole mass was rotten and corrupt, it was impossible to infuse her soul into any but a corrupt material, nor could she be truly cleansed except by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Now the body cannot receive that grace, but only the rational or intellectual spirit. Thus Mary could not be cleansed of that stain except after he soul had been infused into her body-- and this was done out of reverence for the divine Word who would enter that vessel. So, just as a furnace devours a drop of water in a split second, so the Holy Spirit devoured that stain of original sin, for immediately after her conception Mary was cleansed of that sin and given that grace.

Suzanne Noffke points out that Gigli in his edition omitted this section of prayer 23, and that Marracci alleged that this section of the prayer was an addition.  However, Noffke adds that "Marracci's argument is totally without foundation, for the section in question is represented in the earliest manuscripts, long before the edition of 1496 in which he claims the 'addition' was made."(p. 204) She goes on to cite Cavallini as accepting the authenticity of the passage. (p. 205)

Noffke also translated Catherine of Siena's The Dialogue, which was also published by Paulist Press.

Dialogue 14, p. 51

This is why I gave the Word, my only-begotten Son. The clay of humankind was spoiled by the sin of the first man, Adam, and so all of you, as vessels made from that clay, were spoiled and unfit to hold eternal life. So to undo the corruption and death of humankind and to bring you back to the grace you had lost through sin, I, exaltedness, united myself with the baseness of your humanity. For my divine justice demanded suffering in atonement for sin. But I cannot suffer. And you, being only human, cannot make adequate atonement. 

Dialogue 14, p. 52

I really wanted to restore you, incapable as you were of making atonement for yourself. And because you were so utterly handicapped, I sent the Word, my Son, I clothed him with the same nature as yours-- the spoiled clay of Adam-- so that he could suffer in that same nature which had sinned, and by suffering in his body even to the extent of the shameful death on the cross he would placate my anger.

And so I satisfied both my justice and my divine mercy. For my mercy wanted to atone for your sin and make you fit to receive the good for which I had created you. Humanity, when united with divinity, was able to make atonement for the whole human race--not simply through suffering in its finite nature, that is, in the clay of Adam, but by virtue of the eternal divinity, the infinite divine nature. In the union of those two natures I received and accepted the sacrifice of my only-begotten Son's blood, steeped and kneaded with his divinity into the one bread, which the heat of my divine love held nailed to the cross. Thus, was human nature enabled to atone for its sin only by virtue of the human nature.

Dialogue 14, p. 52

Only the scar remains of that original sin as you contract it from your father and mother when you are conceived by them. And even this scar is lifted from the soul--though not completely--in holy baptism, for baptism has power to communicate life of grace in virtue of this glorious and precious blood. 

Notice that the Dialogue, while less explicit than Prayers 16 and 23, but that it provides the conceptual framework upon which Catherine of Siena, a doctor of the Roman Catholic church, denied the error of the immaculate conception, like so many before her.

I am aware that there are some folks out there claiming that Catherine's views from Dialogue 14 and Prayers 14 and 23 are in some way bolstered or reinforced by a purported Marian apparition.  I am not sure from whence they get any such notion.  

The χαριτόω (Charito'o) Argument

A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, aka BDAG (3rd edition), p. 1081, explains the meaning of χαριτόω thus: 

One of the techniques of those arguing that Mary was immaculately conceived is to load the word, χαριτόω, with special significance.  We will take a broader look at the use of the word before Luke's use (in quoting the angel) and after Luke's use.

• Sirach 18:15 (Intertestamental Period)
• Luke 1:28 (Early Apostolic Period)
• Ephesians 1:3-6 (Middle Apostolic Period)
• Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs (Second Century for their current form?), Joseph's Testament
• Shepherd of Hermas (Late 1st Century or 2nd Century), Section 101
• Clement of Alexandria (150-215), Paedagogus (c. 198) 3.11.83, Stromata (c. 198-203) 1.1.14
• Origen (185 - 253), Fragments on the Gospel of John
• Letter of Pseudo-Aristeas (2nd century BC) 
• Posidippus (c. 310-240 BC), Epigrams 
• Origen (185 - 253), Fragments in Luke (in catenas), Fragments 21a-21d

Sirach 18:15-18 (NETS)

Sirach 18:15 Τέκνον, ἐν ἀγαθοῖς μὴ δῷς μῶμον καὶ ἐν πάσῃ δόσει λύπην λόγων. 16 οὐχὶ καύσωνα ἀναπαύσει δρόσος; οὕτως κρείσσων λόγος ἢ δόσις. 17 οὐκ ἰδοὺ λόγος ὑπὲρ δόμα ἀγαθόν; καὶ ἀμφότερα παρὰ ἀνδρὶ (man) κεχαριτωμένῳ (who has been favored). 18 μωρὸς ἀχαρίστως ὀνειδιεῖ, καὶ δόσις βασκάνου ἐκτήκει ὀφθαλμούς.

Luke's Gospel

Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured (κεχαριτωμένη), the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women.

Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted (ἐχαρίτωσεν) in the beloved.

Testament of the 12 Patriarchs

11.ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ ΙΩΣΗΦ ΠΕΡΙ ΣΩΦΡΟΣΥΝΗΣ

11.1. (1) Ἀντίγραφον διαθήκης Ἰωσήφ. ἐν τῷ μέλλειν αὐτὸν ἀποθνῄσκειν καλέσας τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· (2) Τέκνα μου καὶ ἀδελφοί, ἀκούσατε Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ ἠγαπημένου ὑπὸ  Ἰσραήλ· ἐνωτίσασθε, υἱοί, τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν. (3) ἐγὼ εἶδον ἐν τῇ ζωῇ μου τὸν φθόνον καὶ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ οὐκ ἐπλανήθην ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ κυρίου. (4) οἱ ἀδελφοί μου οὗτοι ἐμίσησάν με, καὶ ὁ κύριος ἠγάπησέ με· αὐτοὶ ἤθελόν με ἀνελεῖν, καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων μου ἐφύλαξέ με· εἰς λάκκον με ἐχάλασαν, καὶ ὁ ὕψιστος ἀνήγαγέ με· (5) ἐπράθην εἰς δοῦλον, καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐλευθέρωσέ με· εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐλήφθην, καὶ ἡ κραταιὰ αὐτοῦ χεὶρ ἐβοήθησέ μοι· ἐν λιμῷ συνεσχέθην, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος διέθρεψέ με· (6) μόνος ἤμην, καὶ ὁ θεὸς παρεκάλεσέ με· ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἤμην, καὶ ὁ ὕψιστος ἐπεσκέψατό με· ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην, καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐχαρίτωσέ με· ἐν δεσμοῖς, καὶ ἔλυσέ με· (7) ἐν διαβολαῖς, καὶ συνηγόρησέ μοι· ἐν λόγοις Αἰγυπτίων πικροῖς, καὶ ἐρρύσατό με· ἐν φθόνοις συνδούλων, καὶ ὕψωσέ με.

11. THE TESTAMENT OF JOSEPH ON TEMPERANCE

11.1. (1) A copy of the testament of Joseph. When he was about to die, he called his sons and his brothers and said to them: (2) "My children and brothers, listen to Joseph, beloved by Israel; heed, sons, your father. (3) I have seen in my life envy and death, and I was not led astray from the truth of the Lord. (4) These brothers of mine hated me, and the Lord loved me; they wanted to kill me, and the God of my fathers protected me; they threw me into a pit, and the Most High lifted me out; (5) I was sold into slavery, and the Lord freed me; I was taken into captivity, and His mighty hand helped me; I was bound by famine, and the Lord himself nourished me; (6) I was alone, and God comforted me; I was weak, and the Most High visited me; I was in prison, and the Savior favored (ἐχαρίτωσέ) me; I was in chains, and He freed me; (7) I was slandered, and He defended me; in the bitter words of Egyptians, and He rescued me; in the envy of fellow servants, and He raised me up."

Shepherd of Hermas

101. (1)   Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἑβδόμο[υ ὄρους, ἐν ᾧ βοτάναι] χλωραὶ [καὶ] ἱλαραί, καὶ ὅλον τὸ ὄρος εὐθηνοῦν, καὶ πᾶν γένος κτηνῶν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐνέμοντο τὰς βοτ[άνας ἐν τούτῳ τῷ] ὄρει, καὶ αἱ βοτάναι, ἃς ἐνέμοντο, μᾶλλον (2) εὐθαλεῖς ἐγίνοντο, οἱ πιστεύσαντες τοιοῦτοί εἰσι· πάντοτε ἁπλοῖ [καὶ ἄ]κακοι [καὶ μακάριοι ἐ]γίνοντο, μηδὲν κατ’ ἀλλήλων ἔχοντες, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἀγαλλιώμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνδεδυμένοι [τὸ] πνεῦμα [τὸ ἅγιον τούτων τῶν πα]ρθένων καὶ πάντοτε σπλάγχνον ἔχοντες ἐπὶ πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν κόπων αὐτῶν παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐχορήγησαν ἀνονειδίστως καὶ ἀδιστάκτως. [ὁ οὖν] κύριος ἰδὼν τὴν ἁπλότητα αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶσαν νηπιότητα ἐπλήθυνεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς κόποις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ (4) ἐχαρίτωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐν πάσῃ πράξει αὐτῶν. λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τοῖς τοιούτοις οὖσιν ἐγὼ ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς μετανοίας· διαμείνατε τοιοῦτοι, καὶ οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται [τὸ σ]πέρμα ὑμῶν ἕως αἰῶνος· ἐδοκίμασε γὰρ ὑμᾶς ὁ κύριος καὶ ἐνέγραψεν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν τὸν ἡμέτερον, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν κατοικήσει μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ ἐλάβετε. 

101. (1) From the seventh mountain, on which there are green and cheerful herbs, and the entire mountain is lush, and all kinds of animals and the birds of the sky fed on the herbs on this mountain, and the herbs they fed on (2) became even more luxuriant. Those who believed are such; always simple, innocent, and blessed they became, having nothing against one another, but always rejoicing in the servants of God and clothed in the Holy Spirit of these virgins and always having compassion for every person, and from their labors, they provided for every person without reproach and hesitation. (3) Therefore, the Lord, seeing their simplicity and all their innocence, multiplied them in the labors of their hands (4) and graced them in all their deeds. And I, the angel of repentance, say to you who are such: remain as such, and your seed will not be wiped out forever; for the Lord has tested you and has written you in our number, and your entire seed will dwell with the son of God; for from His spirit you have received.

Clement of Alexandria, Pedagogue (the Tutor)

3.11.83

(1) παιδαγωγούμενον. «Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ γάρ σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρα νευέτω δίκαια·» μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐξὸν καὶ ἰδόντα καρτερεῖν; Ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν φυλακτέον. Δυνατὸν γὰρ ἰδόντα ὀλισθεῖν, ἀμήχανον δὲ μὴ ἰδόντα (2) ἐπιθυμεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ καθαρεύειν μόνον ἀπόχρη τοῖς σώφροσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐκτὸς εἶναι τοῦ ψόγου σπουδαστέον πᾶσαν ἀποκλείσαντας ὑπονοίας αἰτίαν πρὸς συγκεφαλαίωσιν ἁγνείας, ὡς μὴ μόνον εἶναι ἡμᾶς πιστούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ (3) ἀξιοπίστους φανῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ τοῦτο παραφυλακτέον, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, «μή τις ἡμᾶς μωμήσηται· προνοούμενοι γὰρ καλὰ οὐ μόνον ἐνώπιον κυρίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων.» «Ἀπόστρεψον δὲ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἀπὸ γυναικὸς κεχαριτωμένης, καὶ μὴ καταμάνθανε (4) κάλλος ἀλλότριον», φησὶν ἡ γραφή. Κἂν πύθῃ τὴν αἰτίαν, προσεπεξηγήσεταί σοι· «ἐν γὰρ κάλλει γυναικὸς πολλοὶ ἀπεπλανήθησαν, καὶ ἐκ τούτου φιλία ὡς πῦρ ἀνακαίεται,» εἰς πῦρ ἄγουσα ἀκατάπαυστον διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡ ἐκ πυρὸς ὁρμωμένη φιλία, ἣν ἔρωτα κεκλήκασιν.

(1) Being guided. "For your eyes should look straight ahead, and your eyelids should direct justly;" is it not possible, even upon seeing, to endure? But it is to avoid falling into it that one must be careful. For, seeing, one might slip, but desiring without seeing is impossible. (2) For it is not only cleanliness that is required of the temperate, but also to be beyond reproach, having excluded every cause for suspicion towards the summing up of purity, so that we may not only be faithful, but also appear trustworthy. And indeed, this too must be guarded against, as the apostle says, "that no one may fault us; providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men." "Turn your eyes away from a graceful woman, and do not seek to know another's beauty," says the scripture. And if you inquire the reason, it will be explained to you: "for by the beauty of a woman many have been led astray, and by this, love burns like fire," leading to an unceasing fire because of sin, this passion ignited by fire, which they have called love.

But, above all, it seems right that we turn away from the sight of women. For it is sin not only to touch, but to look; and he who is rightly trained must especially avoid them. Let your eyes look straight, and your eyelids wink right. Proverbs 4:25 For while it is possible for one who looks to remain steadfast; yet care must be taken against falling. For it is possible for one who looks to slip; but it is impossible for one, who looks not, to lust. For it is not enough for the chaste to be pure; but they must give all diligence, to be beyond the range of censure, shutting out all ground of suspicion, in order to the consummation of chastity; so that we may not only be faithful, but appear worthy of trust. For this is also consequently to be guarded against, as the apostle says, that no man should blame us; providing things honourable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 But turn away your eyes from a graceful woman, and contemplate not another's beauty, says the Scripture. Sirach 9:8 And if you require the reason, it will further tell you, For by the beauty of woman many have gone astray, and at it affection blazes up like fire; Sirach 9:8 the affection which arises from the fire which we call love, leading to the fire which will never cease in consequence of sin.

Clement of Alexandria, Stromata

1.1.14.

(1)   Ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶνδέ μοι τῶν ὑπομνημάτων γραφὴ ἀσθενὴς μὲν εὖ οἶδ’ ὅτι παραβαλλομένη πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ κεχαριτωμένον, οὗ κατηξιώθημεν ὑπακοῦσαι, εἰκὼν δ’ ἂν εἴη ἀναμιμνῄσκουσα τοῦ ἀρχετύπου τὸν θύρσῳ πεπληγότα· «σοφῷ γάρ», φησί, «λάλει, καὶ (2) σοφώτερος ἔσται,» καὶ «τῷ ἔχοντι δὲ προστεθήσεται». ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ οὐχ ὥστε ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὰ ἀπόρρητα ἱκανῶς, πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ, μόνον δὲ τὸ ὑπομνῆσαι, εἴτε ὁπότε ἐκλαθοίμεθα εἴτε ὅπως μηδ’ ἐκλανθανώμεθα. πολλὰ δὲ εὖ οἶδα παρερρύηκεν ἡμᾶς χρόνου μήκει ἀγράφως διαπεσόντα. ὅθεν τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς μνήμης τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπικουφίζων, κεφαλαίων συστηματικὴν ἔκθεσιν μνήμης ὑπόμνημα σωτήριον πορίζων ἐμαυτῷ, ἀναγκαίως κέχρημαι τῇδε τῇ ὑποτυπώσει. (3) ἔστι μὲν οὖν τινα μηδὲ ἀπομνημονευθέντα ἡμῖν (πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ παρὰ τοῖς μακαρίοις δύναμις ἦν ἀνδράσιν), ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἃ ἀνυποσημείωτα μεμενηκότα τῷ χρόνῳ [ἃ] νῦν ἀπέδρα, τὰ δὲ ὅσα ἐσβέννυτο ἐν αὐτῇ μαραινόμενα τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ῥᾴδιος ἡ τοιάδε διακονία τοῖς μὴ δεδοκιμασμένοις. ταῦτα δὲ ἀναζωπυρῶν ὑπομνήμασι τὰ μὲν ἑκὼν παραπέμπομαι ἐκλέγων ἐπιστημόνως, φοβούμενος γράφειν ἃ καὶ λέγειν ἐφυλαξάμην, οὔ τί που φθονῶν (οὐ γὰρ θέμις), δεδιὼς δὲ ἄρα περὶ τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων, μή πῃ ἑτέρως σφαλεῖεν καὶ παιδὶ μάχαιραν, ᾗ (4) φασιν οἱ παροιμιαζόμενοι, ὀρέγοντες εὑρεθῶμεν. «οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τὰ γραφέντα μὴ <οὐκ> ἐκπεσεῖν» καίτοι ἀνέκδοτα ὑπό γ’ ἐμοῦ μεμενηκότα, κυλιόμενα δὲ ἀεὶ μόνῃ μιᾷ χρώμενα τῇ ἐγγράφῳ φωνῇ πρὸς τὸν ἐπανερόμενον οὐδὲν πλέον παρὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα ἀποκρίνεται δεῖται γὰρ ἐξ ἀνάγκης βοηθοῦ ἤτοι τοῦ συγγραψαμένου ἢ καὶ ἄλλου   

(1) The writing of these memoirs of mine is admittedly weak when compared to that graceful spirit which we were deemed worthy to obey, but it might serve as a reminder of the archetype struck by the thyrsus: "For," it says, "speak to the wise, and he will become wiser," and "to him who has, more will be given." It promises not so much to interpret the mysteries adequately—much less is required for that—but merely to remind, whether we might forget or lest we be forgotten. I am well aware that many things have slipped through us, lost to the passage of time unwritten. Hence, to lighten the weakness of my memory, I provide for myself a systematic summary of memory, a salvific memorandum, having necessarily resorted to this depiction.  (3) Indeed, there are things not remembered by us (for great was the power among the blessed men), and there are also things that remained unmarked by time, now vanished, and those that were extinguished within it, fading in the mind, since such service is not easy for the untested. Reviving these memories, I willingly send forth some, choosing them knowledgeably, fearing to write what I have been careful even to speak, not out of envy (for it is not right), but rather fearing about those encountering them, lest somehow they stumble and, as the proverbial saying goes, we find ourselves offering a sword to a child. "For it is not possible that the written words will not fall out," although remaining unpublished by me, always rolling, using only the written voice to the reader, nothing more than what is written is answered—it necessarily requires the help of either the author or another.

Alternative Translation (link)

The writing of these memoranda of mine, I well know, is weak when compared with that spirit, full of grace, which I was privileged to hear. But it will be an image to recall the archetype to him who was struck with the thyrsus. For "speak," it is said, "to a wise man, and he will grow wiser; and to him that hath, and there shall be added to him." And we profess not to explain secret things sufficiently -- far from it -- but only to recall them to memory, whether we have forgot aught, or whether for the purpose of not forgetting. Many things, I well know, have escaped us, through length of time, that have dropped away unwritten. Whence, to aid the weakness of my memory, and provide for myself a salutary help to my recollection in a systematic arrangement of chapters, I necessarily make use of this form. There are then some things of which we have no recollection; for the power that was in the blessed men was great. There are also some things which remained unnoted long, which have now escaped; and others which are effaced, having faded away in the mind itself, since such a task is not easy to those not experienced; these I revive in my commentaries. Some things I purposely omit, in the exercise of a wise selection, afraid to write what I guarded against speaking: not grudging -- for that were wrong -- but fearing for my readers, lest they should stumble by taking them in a wrong sense; and, as the proverb says, we should be found "reaching a sword to a child." For it is impossible that what has been written should not escape, although remaining unpublished by me. But being always revolved, using the one only voice, that of writing, they answer nothing to him that makes inquiries beyond what is written; for they require of necessity the aid of some one, either of him who wrote, or of some one else who has walked in his foots

Origen, Fragments on the Gospel of John

(11)   Τῶν ἀρετῶν τὸ μὲν οἴκοθεν ἔχομεν καὶ παρ’ ἑαυτῶν, ὃ προαιρετικῶς κτώμεθα, τὸ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ, πιστεύσαντες γοῦν τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐνεδέχετο ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν γενέσθαι. λείπεται ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ αἰτεῖν, καθὼς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰησοῦ φασὶν αὐτῷ· «Πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν». ἡ γὰρ λέξις ἡ «Πρόσθες» σημαίνει ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτοὺς θεοδώρητον πίστιν πρὸς ᾗ εἶχον προαιρετικῶς. ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων φησί· «Κατ’ ἀναλογίαν πί«στεως» τῆς ἐνούσης ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν τὰς δωρεὰς τοῦ πνεύματος δίδοσθαι· «Ἑτέρῳ δίδοται πίστις, φησίν, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι». εἰ δὲ πίστις δίδοταί τινι κατὰ ἀναλογίαν ἧς ἔχει πίστεως, φανερὸν ὅτι τῇ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν κατορθωθείσῃ ἡ θεόπεμπτος παραγίνεται πίστις. ἅπερ δὲ περὶ πίστεως εἴρηται, λεκτέον καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ ἀρετὴ χάρις ἐστὶ κεχαριτωμένον ποιοῦσα τὸν ἔχοντα, ὅταν ἡμῖν προαιρετικῶς κατορθωθῇ αὐτή, τηνικαῦτα τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ παραγίνεται, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δίδοσθαι παρὰ θεοῦ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος.

(11) Of the virtues, we have some from within ourselves and by our own acquisition, which we obtain by choice, and some from God, having believed in the Savior and His Father as it was possible to become through what depends on us. It remains for us also to ask from God, just as the disciples of Jesus say to Him: "Increase our faith." For the phrase "Increase" signifies them demanding a God-given faith in addition to what they had chosen voluntarily. Paul also writes saying: "According to the measure of faith" that is present by what depends on us, the gifts of the Spirit are given: "To another is given faith," he says, "by the same Spirit." If faith is given to someone according to the measure of faith they have, it is evident that the divinely sent faith arrives in addition to the faith that was achieved by our efforts. And what has been said about faith must also be said about the other virtues. Therefore, since virtue is a grace that makes its possessor favored, when it is rightly achieved by us through choice, then the divine aspect arrives, and this is the grace given by God in place of grace.

Letter of Pseudo-Aristeas (2nd century BC) (R.H. Charles, ed.):

224 Pleased with these words, the king asked the next How he could be free from envy? And he after a brief pause replied, 'If you consider first of all that it is God who bestows on all kings glory and great wealth and no one is king by his own power. All men wish to share this glory but cannot, since it is the gift of God.'

225 The king praised the man in a long speech and then asked another How he could despise his enemies? And he replied, 'If you show kindness to all men and win their friendship, you need fear no one. To be popular with all men is the best of good gifts to receive from God.'

226 Having praised this answer the king ordered the next man to reply to the question, How he could maintain his great renown? and he replied that 'If you are generous and large-hearted in bestowing kindness and acts of grace upon others, you will never lose your renown, but if you wish the aforesaid graces to continue yours, you must call upon God continually.'

Original Greek: 

(224) Τοῖς δὲ ῥηθεῖσιν ἀρεσθεὶς πρὸς τὸν ἐχόμενον εἶπε· Πῶς ἂν ἐκτὸς εἴη φθόνου; Διαλιπὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη· Πρῶτον εἰ νοήσαι ὅτι ὁ θεὸς πᾶσι μερίζει δόξαν τε καὶ πλούτου μέγεθος τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς παρ’ ἑαυτοῦ βασιλεύς ἐστι· πάντες γὰρ θέλουσι μετασχεῖν ταύτης τῆς δόξης, ἀλλ’ οὐ δύνανται· θεοῦ γάρ ἐστι δόμα. 

(225) Ἐπαινέσας δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα διὰ πλειόνων ἐπηρώτα τὸν ἕτερον· Πῶς ἂν καταφρονοίη τῶν ἐχθρῶν; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἠσκηκὼς πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὔνοιαν καὶ κατεργασάμενος φιλίας, λόγον οὐθενὸς ἂν ἔχοις· τὸ δὲ κεχαριτῶσθαι πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ καλὸν δῶρον εἰληφέναι παρὰ θεοῦ τοῦτ’ ἔστι κράτιστον. 

(226) Συναινέσας δὲ τούτοις τὸν ἑξῆς ἐκέλευσεν ἀποκριθῆναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπών· Πῶς ἂν δοξαζόμενος διαμένοι; Εἶπε δέ· Τῇ προθυμίᾳ καὶ ταῖς χάρισι πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους μεταδοτικὸς ὢν καὶ μεγαλομερὴς οὐδέποτ’ ἂν ἀπολίποι δόξης· ἵνα δὲ τὰ προειρημένα σοι διαμένῃ, τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦ διὰ παντός. 

(alternative Greek)

224 Τοῖς δὲ ῥηθεῖσιν ἀρεσθεὶς πρὸς τὸν ἐχόμενον εἶπε Πῶς ἂν ἐκτὸς εἴη φθόνου; διαλιπὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη Πρῶτον εἰ νοήσαι, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς πᾶσι μερίζει δόξαν τε καὶ πλούτου μέγεθος τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς περὶ ἑαυτόν ἐστι βασιλεύς· πάντες γὰρ θέλουσι μετασχεῖν ταύτης τῆς δόξης, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ δύνανται· θεοῦ γάρ ἐστι δόμα. 225 Ἐπαινέσας δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα διὰ πλειόνων ἐπηρώτα τὸν ἕτερον Πῶς ἂν καταφρονοίη τῶν ἐχθρῶν; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Ἠσκηκὼς πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὔνοιαν καὶ κατεργασάμενος φιλίας, λόγον οὐθενὸς ἂν ἔχοις· τὸ δὲ κεχαριτῶσθαι πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ καλὸν δῶρον εἰληφέναι παρὰ θεοῦ τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι κράτιστον. 226 Συναινέσας δὲ τούτοις τὸν ἑξῆς ἐκέλευσεν ἀποκριθῆναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπών Πῶς ἂν δοξαζόμενος διαμένοι; εἶπε δὲ Τῇ προθυμίᾳ καὶ ταῖς χάρισι πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους μεταδοτικὸς ὢν καὶ μεγαλομερὴς οὐδέποτ᾽ ἂν ἀπολίποι δόξης· ἵνα δὲ τὰ προειρημένα σοι διαμένῃ, τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦ διὰ παντός.

Alternative Translation:

(224) But being pleased with what was said, he said to the next person: "How could one be outside of envy?" And after pausing, that one said: "First, if you realize that God distributes to all kings both glory and the magnitude of wealth, and no one is a king by himself; for all wish to share in this glory, but they cannot; for it is a gift from God."

(225) And having praised the man for more reasons, he asked another: "How could one despise one's enemies?" And he said: "Having practiced goodwill towards all men and having worked to make friendships, you would have no cause of complaint from anyone; but to have been favored by all men and to have received a beautiful gift from God is the greatest."

(226) And agreeing with these, he ordered the next to reply, saying to him: "How could one remain honored?" He said: "By being eager and generous in sharing your graces with others, and being magnanimous, you would never lose honor; but to ensure that what has been said to you remains, always invoke God."

"Critical" Translation (link):

224 Now the king, pleased with this reply, spoke to the next guest, “How could a man be free from envy?” Now after a pause, he declared, “First of all, by realizing that God assigns both glory and greatness of wealth to the kings, each and every one, and no one is a king by his own power. For all men wish to share this glory, but instead they cannot—for it is a gift of God.”

225 Now the king, after giving a long commendation to this guest, asked another, “How can a man despise his enemies?” Now he spoke, “By practicing goodwill to all humans and by forming friendships, you would owe no obligation to anyone. But to have gratitude with all humans, and to receive a handsome gift from God—this is one of the strongest gifts.”

226 Now the king, after approving these words, directed the next guest to answer, speaking to him, “How can a man maintain the glory he received?” Now he spoke, “If by his earnestness and his favors he showed munificence and great-generosity toward others, he would never lack glory. But if you wish for these previously-mentioned qualities to abide with you, you must call on God continually.”

Thackery's Translation (link) 

Pleased with his words, the king asked his neighbour how he might be free from envy. And he, after a pause, said, "Chiefly by considering how it is God who apportions to all kings their glory and great wealth, and that no one by his own power [FN1 Text slightly emended.] is king; for all men desire to partake of this glory, but they cannot, since it is a gift of God."

225 He commended the speaker at some length, and asked the next one how he should despise his foes. And he replied, "If thou hast studiously practised goodwill towards all men and formed friendships, thou needest fear no man. But to be in high favour with all men is the very best of good gifts to receive from God." [FN1 Text slightly emended.]

226 He commended his words, and bade the next one reply to the question, how he might retain his renown. And he said, " If with loving kindness and gracious acts thou art liberal and bountiful to others, thou wilt never have lack of renown ; but that the aforesaid graces may continue thine, thou must constEftitly call upon God."

*** 

Posidippus (c. 310-240 BC), Epigrams 

Translation:

Section  48

This is sufficient for the wise Bithynid to lie nearby

to the servant of good masters, O Themis, ruler;

for they did not begrudge freedom, I gladly declare,

who have a stele better than freedom.

Greek (48) 

τοῦθ’ ἱκανὸν συνετῆι Βιθυνίδι τοὐγγύθι κεῖσ[θαι]

  τῆι δούλη[ι χ]ρηστῶν, ὦ Θέμι, δεσποτέων·

[οὐ γὰρ] ἐλευθερίηι προσεμόχθεον, εὖ χαριτοῦμ[αι,]

[   ἥτις ἔ]χ̣ω̣ στήλην κρέσσον’ ἐλευθερίης. 

Alternative Translations (from here)

Translated by M. Lefkowitz, From Diotima: Women & Gender in the Ancient World.

Goddess Themis, this tomb is a sufficient resting-place

    for wise Bithynis,a slave of worthy masters,

for I did not strive for freedom, but I was well rewarded,

    and I have this memorial that is more enduring than liberty.

Translated by E. Kosmetatou

This is sufficient grave for wise Bithynis, a slave,

    O Themis, of good masters.

For I did not struggle for freedom but was well rewarded:

    I have this stele which is far superior to liberty.

Origen, Fragments of his lost Commentary on Luke, Fragments 21a-21d

(21a) Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς τῇ Εὔᾳ· ‹ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα›, διὰ τοῦτο λέγει ὁ ἄγγελος· ‹Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη›· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ χαρὰ λύει ἐκείνην τὴν λύπην·

(21b) εἰ γὰρ διὰ τὴν τῆς Εὔας κατάραν διέβη ἡ ἀρὰ ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ τῶν θηλειῶν γένος, οὐκοῦν στοχαστέον, ὅτι διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὴν Μαρίαν εὐλογίας πλατύνεται ἡ χαρὰ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν παρθένον·

(21c) ‹ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ›· ἦν γὰρ μετ’ αὐτῆς ὁ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐξ αὐτῆς.

(21d) ‹ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ›· ἰστέον ὅτι ἅμα τῷ εὐαγγελίσασθαι εὐθὺς συνέλαβεν ἡ παρθένος παραδόξως.

(21a) Since God said to Eve, "In pain you shall bear children," for this reason the angel says, "Rejoice, highly favored one"; for this joy dissolves that pain.

(21b) If indeed through the curse of Eve, the curse passed onto all the female gender, it must then be considered that through the blessing towards Mary, joy is expanded upon every virgin soul.

(21c) "The Lord is with you"; for He was with her, who a little later came from her.

(21d) "The Lord is with you"; it must be known that at the moment of being told the good news, the virgin miraculously conceived immediately.

Compare Homily X on Luke by Origen, as translated by Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J. for the Catholic University of America Press series, The Fathers of the Church: a New Translation (vol. 94).

(p. 26)

I mention this because the translator asserted that he failed to translate the early Lucan fragments because the homilies already sufficiently discussed things ("Origen's thought on Luke 1 to 3 is covered well enough in the homilies." p. xxxix), which it seems plain that they did not. As Lienhard notes, the authenticity and accuracy of the fragments cannot be guaranteed unless we some day find the intact commentary.

What can we conclude from the above?  Chiefly, we can conclude that the term is not some special word that means, or implies, that a person is immaculately conceived, or that means or implies that a person has original justice, or the like.

Sword of Pain/Bereavement/Doubt in Mary's Heart?

John of Damascus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV, Chapter 14

But this blessed woman, who was deemed worthy of gifts that are supernatural, suffered those pains, which she escaped at the birth, in the hour of the passion, enduring from motherly sympathy the rending of the bowels, and when she beheld Him, Whom she knew to be God by the manner of His generation, killed as a malefactor, her thoughts pierced her as a sword, and this is the meaning of this verse: Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also Luke 2:35. But the joy of the resurrection transforms the pain, proclaiming Him, Who died in the flesh, to be God.

In this case, notice that John is suggesting that Mary escaped the pains associated with original sin at Jesus' birth, but nevertheless experienced them when he died on the cross.

Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 105 (Masoretic Psalm 104):

12. Next he does relate the story, mentioning what Joseph suffered in his low estate, and how he was raised on high. His feet they hurt in the stocks: the iron entered into his soul, until his word came Psalm 104:18. That Joseph was put in irons, we do not indeed read; but we ought no ways to doubt that it was so. For some things might be passed over in that history, which nevertheless would not escape the Holy Spirit, who speaks in these Psalms. We understand by the iron which entered into his soul, the tribulation of stern necessity; for he did not say body, but soul. There is a somewhat similar expression in the Gospel, where Simeon says unto Mary, A sword shall pierce through your own soul also. Luke 2:35 That is, the Passion of the Lord, which was a fall unto many, and in which the secrets of many hearts were revealed, since their sentiments respecting the Lord were extorted from them, without doubt made His own Mother exceeding sorrowful, heavily struck with human bereavement. 

While Augustine does not explicitly link it to sin and the fall, Augustine asserts that Mary was touched with human bereavement and consequent sorrow.

Basil, Letter 260, to Optimus the bishop, sections 6-9

6. About the words of Simeon to Mary, there is no obscurity or variety of interpretation. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Luke 2:34-35 Here I am astonished that, after passing by the previous words as requiring no explanation, you should enquire about the expression, Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also. To me the question, how the same child can be for the fall and rising again, and what is the sign that shall be spoken against, does not seem less perplexing than the question how a sword shall pierce through Mary's heart.

7. My view is, that the Lord is for falling and rising again, not because some fall and others rise again, but because in us the worst falls and the better is set up. The advent of the Lord is destructive of our bodily affections and it rouses the proper qualities of the soul. As when Paul says, When I am weak, then I am strong, 2 Corinthians 12:10 the same man is weak and is strong, but he is weak in the flesh and strong in the spirit. Thus the Lord does not give to some occasions of falling and to others occasions of rising. Those who fall, fall from the station in which they once were, but it is plain that the faithless man never stands, but is always dragged along the ground with the serpent whom he follows. He has then nowhere to fall from, because he has already been cast down by his unbelief. Wherefore the first boon is, that he who stands in his sin should fall and die, and then should live in righteousness and rise, both of which graces our faith in Christ confers on us. Let the worse fall that the better may have opportunity to rise. If fornication fall not, chastity does not rise. Unless our unreason be crushed our reason will not come to perfection. In this sense he is for the fall and rising again of many.

8. For a sign that shall be spoken against. By a sign, we properly understand in Scripture a cross. Moses, it is said, set the serpent upon a pole. Numbers 21:8 That is upon a cross. Or else a sign is indicative of something strange and obscure seen by the simple but understood by the intelligent. There is no cessation of controversy about the Incarnation of the Lord; some asserting that he assumed a body, and others that his sojourn was bodiless; some that he had a passible body, and others that he fulfilled the bodily œconomy by a kind of appearance. Some say that his body was earthly, some that it was heavenly; some that He pre-existed before the ages; some that He took His beginning from Mary. It is on this account that He is a sign that shall be spoken against.

9. By a sword is meant the word which tries and judges our thoughts, which pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of our thoughts. Now every soul in the hour of the Passion was subjected, as it were, to a kind of searching. According to the word of the Lord it is said, All you shall be offended because of me. Matthew 26:3 Simeon therefore prophesies about Mary herself, that when standing by the cross, and beholding what is being done, and hearing the voices, after the witness of Gabriel, after her secret knowledge of the divine conception, after the great exhibition of miracles, she shall feel about her soul a mighty tempest. The Lord was bound to taste of death for every man — to become a propitiation for the world and to justify all men by His own blood. Even you yourself, who hast been taught from on high the things concerning the Lord, shall be reached by some doubt. This is the sword. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. He indicates that after the offense at the Cross of Christ a certain swift healing shall come from the Lord to the disciples and to Mary herself, confirming their heart in faith in Him. In the same way we saw Peter, after he had been offended, holding more firmly to his faith in Christ. What was human in him was proved unsound, that the power of the Lord might be shown.

In this passage, Basil does not just assert, but demonstrates that Mary was affected by sinful doubt.

Jesus as the New Eve? Mary as the New Adam?

Ephrem the Syrian (AD 307-373), Saint Ephrem's Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron, Carmel McCarthy trans., Chapter II, Sections 2-3 (pp. 60-61)(footnotes omitted, brackets and italics are McCarthy's):

§2. [Mary] gave birth without [the assistance of] a man. Just as in the beginning Eve was born of Adam without intercourse, so too [in the case of] Joseph and Mary, his virgin and spouse. Eve gave birth to the murderer, but Mary gave birth to the Life-Giver. The former gave birth to him who shed the blood of his brother, but the latter to him whose blood was shed by his brothers. The former saw him who was trembling and fleeing because of the curse of the earth, the latter [saw] him who bore the curse and nailed it on his cross. The virgin's conception teaches that he, who begot Adam without intercourse from the virgin earth, also fashioned the Second Adam without intercourse in the virgin's womb. Whereas the First [Adam] returned back into the womb of his mother, [it was] by means of the Second [Adam], who did not return back into the womb of his mother, that the former, who had been buried in the womb of his mother, was brought back [from it]. 

§3. Mary was trying to convince Joseph that her conception was from the Spirit, but he did not accept [it] because it was an unwonted thing. When he saw however that her countenance was serene, although her womb was heavy, he was not willing to put her to shame, being a just man, but neither [was he willing] to receive her as husband, for he thought that she had intercourse with another man. In his uprightness therefore he judged that he should not take her, but also that he should not denounce her. Therefore, the angel appeared to him and said, Joseph, son of David. It was a wonderful thing that [the angel] also called him, Son of David, to remind him of David, the head of his ancestors, to whom God had made a promise that from his descendants according to the flesh he would raise up the Messiah. Do not be afraid to take Mary your spouse, because what is in her is from the Holy Spirit. If you are in doubt as to whether the virgin's conception was without intercourse, listen to Isaiah who said, Behold the virgin will conceive, and to Daniel, A stone was cut off, but not with [human] hands. This not like that [other passage], Look at the mountain and the well; since that [passage implies] a man and woman, whereas here it is [written], Not with [human] hands. Just as Adam fills the role of father and mother for Eve, so too does Mary for our Lord.  

I bring up this odd usage by Ephrem to encourage folks not to get overly excited by patristic-era use of comparisons between the New Testament and the Old.  These are fun comparisons, but they lack Scriptural warrant in terms of being the meaning of Scripture.  

The Description, "Blessed Among Women," in the Angelic Address

Reading through the writing of one of the Latin speaking fathers, I encountered a point that I had not previously considered in terms of the testimony of the Scripture regarding Mary, the mother of my Lord.  If I recall correctly, the author was considering the question of why does Paul say, "made of a woman," rather than "made of a virgin."  I disagreed with the author's answer to the question, but it got me thinking about a similar issue in Luke 1. 

Recall that in Luke 1, after the stage is set (vss. 26-27), the angel initially greets Mary (vs. 28), she was troubled (but apparently only in her mind, not in her words, vs. 29), and then the angel clarifies his statement (vss. 30-33), and Mary politely challenges the statement on the basis of her virginity (vs. 34).  Finally, the angel clarifies and offers a further sign in confirmation (vss. 35-37).  Mary acknowledges her instructions and task and the angel leaves (vs. 38).

Looking at the individual parts:

Luke 1:26-28 - And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin (παρθένον) espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's (παρθένου) name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women (γυναιξίν).

Notice that the angel does not say "blessed art thou among virgins," nor "blessed art thou amongst maidens," but "blessed art thou among women." Notice as well that the angel says "the Lord is with thee" and refers to her as "highly favored" (perfect passive participle).  Finally (yet first), "Hail," is literally "Rejoice" (present active imperative).

Blessed Among Women

What does it mean to be blessed among women?  While other passages may be relevant (such as Genesis 49:25 and Deuteronomy 7:13), the first woman individually referred to as blessed is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.  

In context, the blessing of Jael stands in opposition to the curse of Meroz:

Judges 5:23-24 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

Nevertheless, the nature of the curse and of the blessing is not spelled out.  Perhaps the only intention is that they will be respectively cursed with infamy and blessed with fame. 

Is it an interesting coincidence that Heber the Kenite lived near Kedesh:

Judges 4:11 - Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

Moreover, this Kedesh was a city of refuge, and its location was Galilee:

Joshua 20:7 - And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

Moreover, note that Mary was at this time in Nazareth, which is also in Galilee.  Perhaps just a coincidence, but an interesting one.

Another woman to be individually blessed is Hannah:

1 Samuel 2:18-21 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

In this case, the nature of the blessing is that woman will have babies.  This is consistent with other Old Testament blessing of women.  For example:

Genesis 24:60 - And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Genesis 30:13 - And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

While the text doesn't say "bless," the same concept is used with respect to the Egyptians midwives:

Exodus 1:20-21 - Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

The exception seems to be David's blessing of Abigail:

1Samuel 25:32-33 And David said to Abigail, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed [be] thy advice, and blessed [be] thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to [shed] blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

Although David went on shortly thereafter to take Abigail (then widow) to be his wife (1 Samuel 25:42) and to bear him a son named Daniel (1 Chronicles 3:1).

Wisdom literature has two references as well that, while they have some connection to fertility could just be more general blessings: 

Proverbs 31:28 - Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Song of Songs 6:9 - My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

The Apocrypha are not inspired Scripture.  Nevertheless, I have also considered their usage.  Tobit contains one blessing of a woman, which is in the context of a marriage between Sara and Tobias (Tobit 7:13).  The blessing seems to have (at least implicitly) included a blessing of children (cf. Tobit 9:6 & Tobit 10:12) although it may have been a general blessing as in Tobit 11:1 of Raguel and his wife and in 11:17 of Sara his daughter-in-law once again.

Chapters 13-15 of Judith recount blessings given to Judith:

Judith 13:18-20 Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth, which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies. For this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever. And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things because thou hast not spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So be it, so be it.

Judith 14:6-7 Then they called Achior out of the house of Ozias; and when he was come, and saw the head of Holofernes in a man's hand in the assembly of the people, he fell down on his face, and his spirit failed. But when they had recovered him, he fell at Judith's feet, and reverenced her, and said, Blessed art thou in all the tabernacles of Juda, and in all nations, which hearing thy name shall be astonished.

Judith 14:9-13 And when they came unto her, they blessed her with one accord, and said unto her, Thou art the exaltation of Jerusalem, thou art the great glory of Israel, thou art the great rejoicing of our nation: Thou hast done all these things by thine hand: thou hast done much good to Israel, and God is pleased therewith: blessed be thou of the Almighty Lord for evermore. And all the people said, So be it. And the people spoiled the camp the space of thirty days: and they gave unto Judith Holofernes his tent, and all his plate, and beds, and vessels, and all his stuff: and she took it and laid it on her mule; and made ready her carts, and laid them thereon. Then all the women of Israel ran together to see her, and blessed her, and made a dance among them for her: and she took branches in her hand, and gave also to the women that were with her. And they put a garland of olive upon her and her maid that was with her, and she went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women: and all the men of Israel followed in their armour with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.

While some of these are reminiscent of the blessing of Jael, they do not seem to have anything directly to do with fertility.  Indeed, the author of Judith seems to suggest that Judith lived as a chaste (and chased) widow:

Judith 16:22 And many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her life, after that Manasses her husband was dead, and was gathered to his people.

Wisdom of Solomon has some curiously subversive expressions, which seem (in their satire) to point to the usual understanding:

Wisdom 3:10-19 But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own imaginations, which have neglected the righteous, and forsaken the Lord. For whoso despiseth wisdom and nurture, he is miserable, and their hope is vain, their labours unfruitful, and their works unprofitable: Their wives are foolish, and their children wicked: Their offspring is cursed. Wherefore blessed is the barren that is undefiled, which hath not known the sinful bed: she shall have fruit in the visitation of souls. And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity, nor imagined wicked things against God: for unto him shall be given the special gift of faith, and an inheritance in the temple of the Lord more acceptable to his mind. For glorious is the fruit of good labours: and the root of wisdom shall never fall away. As for the children of adulterers, they shall not come to their perfection, and the seed of an unrighteous bed shall be rooted out. For though they live long, yet shall they be nothing regarded: and their last age shall be without honour. Or, if they die quickly, they have no hope, neither comfort in the day of trial. For horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation.

This curse on the wicked creates a distortion of the usual.  Usually, children and fertility are blessing, but not for the wicked.

The remainder of the Apocrypha did not seem to have any particularly relevant material.  

What then, is the most natural understanding of "blessed (perfect passive participle) among women"? The most natural understanding is: "Congratulations, you're pregnant!" That is a very odd greeting for Mary, though, considering that she is a virgin.  The difference between a virgin and a woman is usually intercourse, but Mary had not had that yet.  Therefore, the greeting was confusing at best.

In fairness, if it was just "thou art blessed" it might still be confusing, or if Mary thought it should be understood in a Jael-Judith sense of being blessed for some great deed she had done, as she hadn't done anything especially remarkable yet.  It would be confusing for the same reason as the next statement we will consider, "highly favored."

The "Highly favored" (perfect passive participle) is also potentially a confusing statement to Mary.  She was engaged to marry Joseph, a carpenter - of noble lineage, but not particularly wealthy or powerful. Why does the angel consider her to have been highly favored (already in the past, with some continuing effect, just like the "blessed")?

Once again, the only context clue seems to lie either in the "among women" (i.e. pregnancy) or perhaps in another phrase of the address: "Lord [is] with thee."  This phrase could have two senses.  One sense is the more obvious and the other the more prophetic.

The more obvious sense is the sense as used in Genesis 26:28, Judges 6:12 (by an angel), 1 Samuel 17:37, 1 Samuel 20:13, 2 Samuel 7:3, and 1 Chronicles 22:16, where the phrase carries the sense of wishing that God would be or saying that God is on the person's side, as in the familiar English farewell ("goodbye" from God be with you). 

The more prophetic sense seems to be harking back to the prophecy of the Messiah's birth:

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Recall that Immanuel means "God with us."  Indeed, this was later explained to Joseph by an angel in a dream:

Matthew 1:20-23 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Moreover, pregnancy is frequently described as being "with child" (Genesis 16:11, Genesis 19:36, Genesis 38:25, Exodus 21:22, 1 Samuel 4:19, 2 Samuel 11:5, 2 Kings 8:12, 2 Kings 15:16, Ecclesiastes 11:5, Isaiah 26:17-18, Isaiah 54:1, Jeremiah 30:6, Jeremiah 31:8, Hosea 13:16, and Amos 1:13).

Finally, note that the address starts with "Rejoice!" This imperative verb in this conjugation is always translated as "Hail" in the KJV, namely in the phrases "Hail, master ..." or "Hail, King of the Jews."  It certainly can serve this purpose.  We don't use "Cheers" in precisely the same way, but most English speakers will recognize that "Cheers!" has a specific rhetorical meaning, that is not necessarily about cheerfulness.

While there is good reason to translate it in this way from the fact that it is part of a salutation, the literal meaning of "rejoice" is also pertinent.  In the immediately preceding angelic message (to Zacharias about John the Baptist), this same verb had been used to describe the joy at the birth of John:

Luke 1:14 - And thou shalt have joy (χαρά) and gladness; and many shall rejoice (χαρήσονται) at his birth.

 So, when we read the angelic greeting:

Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed art thou among women.

We can understand why Mary's initial response was this:

Luke 1:29 - And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

We then see the angelic interpretation of the angel's own words:

Luke 1:30-33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

This may be easier to visualize as a chart:

Original Statement (v. 28)	Clarification (vss. 30-33)	Commentary
Hail/Rejoice	Fear not, Mary	As in Luke 2:10 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy (χαρὰν), which shall be to all people."
Highly Favored (κεχαριτωμένη)	thou hast found favor (χάριν) with God.	As in Acts 7:46 - Who found favour (χάριν) before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
the Lord [is] with thee	He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.	As in Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
blessed [art] thou among women. (εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν)	behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.	As in Luke 1:42 blessed [art] thou among women (εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν), and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Likewise, Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Moreover, we are not left with this clarification, because Mary responded by asking how this will happen, as she hasn't had intercourse ("How shall this be, seeing I know not a man").

The angel clarified:

Luke 1:35 ... The Holy Ghost shall come (ἐπελεύσεται) upon thee, and the power (δύναμις) of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (ἅγιον) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The first phrases remind us of Jesus' words in Acts:

Act 1:8 - But ye shall receive power (δύναμιν), after that the Holy Ghost is come (ἐπελθόντος) upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The point is that the birth is special miracle of God, like the so-called charismatic gifts.

Moreover, the angel confirms his word by pointing to a lesser but related miracle that has happened to Elisabeth:

Luke 1:36-37 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also (καὶ) conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

I pause to note the copulative kai translated as "also" here.  In what way is Elisabeth "also"? In that she has conceived a son.  This seems to imply that Mary has also begun to conceive.  

For the ancients, conception was not necessarily a point act but the process of formation or what we today would refer to as the early stages of gestation (i.e. the germinal and embryonic stages before the fetal stage or even any time before quickening).  

For example, in Genesis 30:38-41 Jacob manipulates (or at least attempts to manipulate) the fetal development of the sheep by placing patterned wood in front of the eyes of the sheep. 

As another example, in 2 Samuel 11:5 Bathsheba is described as conceiving after she returned to her house.

In Job, conceive is used essentially as a synonym with gestate:

Job 3:3 - Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Job 15:35 - They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

Similarly, David uses the phrase as synonymous with gestation:

Psalm 51:5 - Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

The English term is also used of the formation of ideas, as in KJV Acts:

Acts 5:4 - Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

It should be noted that, of course, the Greek word in Acts 5:4 is a conjugation of τίθημι not the noun κοίτην as in Romans 9:10 nor a conjugation of the verb συλλαμβάνω used in Luke 1:24, 31, and 36.

However, James uses that same verb:

James 1:15 - Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

In that context, as in some of the others, it seems to refer to the overall process of gestation.

The idea that Mary has only begun to conceive, but has not fully conceived is further supported by Luke 2:

Luke 2:21 - And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

We should also consider Elisabeth's and Mary's explanations respectively provided to us at Luke 1:42-45 and Luke 1:46-55.

Luke 1:42-45 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy (ἀγαλλιάσει). And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Notice the reiteration of the same themes.  The babe is said to have leaped in Elisabeth's womb for joy, using an even more intense word for joy than earlier: the same word used as a synonym in Luke 1:14 regarding John's birth:

Luke 1:14 - And thou shalt have joy (χαρά) and gladness (ἀγαλλίασις); and many shall rejoice at his birth.

Moreover, the "fruit of the womb" is a Hebraism to refer to children, describing fertility in terms of forming children in the womb analogous to the way plants produce fruits/grains (Genesis 30:2; Deuteronomy 7:13; Psalm 127:3; Isaiah 13:18; and Hosea 9:16). 

Likewise being "blessed ... among women" is reiterated in identical words to the angel.  Elisabeth immediately explains this blessing in terms of Mary's pregnancy and not just any pregnancy but having the Lord within her.  Moreover, it is interesting to note the Elisabeth does not connect any of this to Mary's works or intrinsic holiness, but only refers to Mary as having believed.  This explains Mary's words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word," (Luke 1:38) as indicating Mary's faith.

Mary's own explanation then follows:

Luke 1:46-55 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (Μεγαλύνει) the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced (ἠγαλλίασεν) in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy (ἅγιον) [is] his name. And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from [their] seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of [his] mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Mary expresses her joy and refers to God as her Savior (which is the meaning of the name JESUS).  Moreover, she reiterates her low estate as a handmaid (literally the female form of servant or slave).  Nevertheless, she echoes the words of Leah:

Genesis 30:12-13 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

Notice that she not only refers to Jesus as Savior, but also as "Holy," tracking the description provided by the angel. Ultimately, and unsurprisingly, Mary is rejoicing not only about her pregnancy in general, but also about the aid being given to the people of Israel by God through Jesus.

I would conclude by pointing out that this close association between blessing of women and pregnancy is further illustrated by a pair of verses in Luke:

Luke 11:27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Luke 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

The second verse overturns the usual expectation.  The former seems to have been a stylized way of praising a person by praising their mother.  In the former case, however, recall that Jesus disparaged a focus on genetic connection and instead prioritized a union by faith.

Some people will say that Mary cannot have been pregnant already when the angel arrived, because the conception is expressed in the future ("thou shalt conceive" Luke 1:31) and because the angel is said to have named Jesus before he was conceived (Luke 2::21).  This tension is resolved when we consider that conception is not a point event for the ancients, but rather a taking hold of seed in the fertile soil of the womb of the mother, eventually bringing forth as fruit, a child.  We tend to think of conception in terms of fertilization, but naturally the precise mechanisms at the cellular level were unknown at the time (Ecclesiastes 11:5 - As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.)

Nevertheless, even if we were to impose a modern "point of fertilization in a fallopian tube" or similarly the moment a dioplid zygote is formed, we should still understand "blessed ... among women" as referring to Mary's forthcoming pregnancy.  Granted that "blessed" and "favored" are perfect participles, but as Elisabeth declared (Luke 1:45): "there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."  Thus, it is not unusual to refer to future events as though they were past when they are being guaranteed by God.  

Furthermore, even setting aside a prophetic past usage, the angel's announcement is provided as a fait accompli to Mary.  Like Zacharias earlier in the same chapter, and like Joseph in Matthew 1, Mary is not offered options except (at least implicitly) the option to believe or not.  We can understand from Elisabeth's commendation that Mary did believe, like her husband Joseph, and unlike Zacharias her cousin's husband.

In short, "blessed ... among women," "the Lord is with thee," and "highly favored" are all about Mary's pregnancy with the Son of God.  They are not about some previous actions to or on Mary, and any such suggestion (as sometimes offered by proponents of the immaculate conception) is foreign to the text.

While we can and should reject the interpretation of the immaculists, the understanding that the angel was saying, (paraphrase), "Congratulations, God has blessed you with a pregnancy!" most easily explains Mary's initial confusion as well as her comment about still being a virgin (especially as understood as being distinct from a woman).  

Jerome on Galatians 4:4-5

St. Jerome, Commentary on Galatians, Fathers of the Church Series, transl. Andrew Cain, (pp. 156-157), at Galatians 4:4-5

4-4-5. But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, made of a woman and put under the Law to redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the full rights of [adopted] sons.

Take note that he did not say “made through a woman”— phrasing opted for by Marcion and other heresies which pretend that the flesh of Christ was imaginary—but “made of a woman,” in order to support the belief that Christ was born of a woman and not through her. As for his calling the holy and blessed mother of the Lord a woman instead of a virgin, this same thing is written both in the Gospel according to Matthew, where she is referred to as the wife of Joseph, and [in the Gospel according to John, where] the Lord himself scolds her as a woman. It was not necessary always to use the term “virgin,” as if being circumspect and cautious, for the word “woman” denotes gender more than it does union with a man, and the Greek γυνή can be translated as either “wife” or “woman.”

Latin from Migne, Patrologia Latinae, Tomus XXVI (of Jerome, vol. 7), col. 572 A-B: 

(Vers. 4) At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere, factum sub Lege: ut eos qui sub Lege erant, redimeret, ut adoptionem filiorum reciperemus. 

Diligenter attendite quod non dixerit, factum per mulierem, quod Marcion et cæteræ hæreses volunt, quæ putativam Christi carnem simulant: sed ex muliere, ut non per illam, sed ex illa natus esse credatur. Quod autem sanctam et beatam Matrem Domini, mulierem, non Virginem nominavit, hoc idem et in Evangelio κατά Ματθαίον scriptum est: quando uxor appellatur Joseph (Luc. II), et ab ipso Domino quasi mulier increpatur (Joan. II). Non enim necesse erat semper quasi caute et timide Virginem dicere, cum mulier sexum magis significet quam copulam viri: et secundum intelligentiam Græcitatis, γυνή tam uxor, quam mulier valeat interpretari.

Alternative translation:

Diligently pay attention to the fact that he did not say, 'made through a woman,' as Marcion and the other heresies want, which feign the assumed flesh of Christ: but 'from a woman,' so that it is believed not through her, but from her he was born. That he called the holy and blessed Mother of the Lord, a woman, not a Virgin, the same is also written in the Gospel according to Matthew: when she is called the wife of Joseph, and by the Lord himself is almost reproached as a woman. For it was not necessary always to say Virgin as if cautiously and timidly, since woman more signifies sex than the union with a man: and according to the understanding of Greek, γυνή can be interpreted both as wife and as woman.

I've highlighted the place where Jerome acknowledges that Jesus use of woman in John 2 was, to put it gently, not positive. Jerome's focus in his response was not to suggest that "woman" here points to Mary as some new Eve, but rather to focus on the true humanity of Christ and to reject a flawed argument against Mary's virginity on the ground that she is called here, "woman," which presumably was used by the Latins to refer to a female who was married (or at least had engaged in copulation).

Will Kinney's Space Argument

Will Kinney sometimes argues that one of the signs that the King James is the perfect word is that a portion of it was read in space by the Apollo 8 astronauts.  In a recent debate he stated:

"... reasons why the King James Bible is God's inerrant book and there are many reasons not just Blind Faith but there are a lot of reasons historical things that God has done with it in history it's the only Bible read from from outer space that'll never happen again they'll go up and read out of the Bible not going to happen not in today's society" 

(source)

I'm sure Will means well, but may be unaware of the fact that during the Apollo 11 mission, the Vatican had the following placed on the Moon:

 And at the same time, Israel had the following placed on the Moon:

(source of the above clips)

In 1996, the Torah was read in Hebrew in Space (link to source with photo).  Likewise, in 2003, Ilan Ramon brought a miniatured version of scriptures with him to space (link to source) during the final mission of the Columbia. 

It's a terrible, terrible argument that Will offers.  Love the brother, but avoid the argument.