The text has been published in the Patrologiae Cursus. Series
Graeca (PG), Migne, Paris 1857-1866, vol. 43, cols. 492 - 497. Translation
by John Wijngaards.
| Mary is a priest |
|
. . . . O Virgin, awesome
treasure of the Church who holds the great mystery. I (?) call the
Virgin both priest and altar, she, the table-bearer who has
given us the Christ, the heavenly bread for the forgiveness of
sins. PG 43, 497A |
The Virgin is a
priest of the Eucharist. Table-bearer refers to
the eucharistic table. It was also a title of the priestesses of
Pallas Athene. (See C.B.Hale, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae,
Paris 1854, col. 2363-2364.) |
| Mary has given us the
Eucharist |
|
. . . . You are, o Mary, the
field that was not ploughed. You conceived the Word as a grain of wheat and
germinated the shoot. You are the spiritual furrow that holds the fire and
the bread of life, the holy Mother of the Saviour who gave birth to the
Word of the Father, the Word who was made incarnate from you.
PG 43, 492D |
According to the
prevailing biological view, the mother is like a field into which the father
sows the seed. In Marys case there was no human father [=unploughed].
She produced bread [=Christ & the Eucharist]. |
. . . . The Virgin is the spiritual table
of faith which provides the world with the fire and the bread of
life.PG 43, 496A |
The fire
alludes to baptism, the bread of life to the Eucharist. |
. . . . True vine, carrying fruits and not
withered in your virginity, not pruned but producing grapes, you who
made Christ grow as a mature grape. PG 43, 496A cont. |
Again a clear allusion
to Christ, given to us as wine in the Eucharist. |
. . . . The Virgin is the spiritual furrow
who has brought the world as spiritual nourishment the burning fire and
burning bread of life of which Christ, the Saviour of the world, said:
Take and eat! This is my body broken for you and for the forgineness of
sins. The table of the Virgin is rich and full of goodness.
PG 43, 496A cont. |
The Virgin has given
the world the table of the Eucharist. |