Οἶκος Ε'
The Visitation and the Joy of the Unborn
The Virgin Mary visits Elizabeth, causing the unborn John the Baptist to leap for joy in recognition of the Savior.
The Virgin, carrying a womb that had received God, hurried to Elizabeth.✦ And that woman's child recognized Him at once, rejoiced at her greeting, and with leaps like songs cried out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, branch of an unfading shoot; rejoice, treasure of pure fruit.✦1
The Hymn of the Unwedded Bride
A series of poetic invocations praising the Theotokos as the source of life, mercy, and reconciliation between God and humanity.
Rejoice, you who cultivate the Farmer who loves humankind; rejoice, you who bring forth the Planter of our life; Rejoice, field that sprouts a rich crop of mercies; rejoice, table that bears abundance of atonement.2 Rejoice, for you make the meadow of delight bloom again; rejoice, for you prepare a harbor for souls. Rejoice, acceptable incense of intercession; rejoice, atonement for the whole world.3 Rejoice, God's favor toward mortals; rejoice, mortals' bold access to God.✦4 Rejoice, unwedded Bride.
Read the original Latin
Ἔχουσα θεοδόχον, ἡ Παρθένος τὴν μήτραν, ἀνέδραμε πρὸς τὴν Ἐλισάβετ. Τὸ δὲ βρέφος ἐκείνης εὐθὺς ἐπιγνόν, τὸν ταύτης ἀσπασμὸν ἔχαιρε, καὶ ἅλμασιν ὡς ἄσμασιν, ἐβόα πρὸς τὴν Θεοτόκον· Χαῖρε, βλαστοῦ ἀμάραντου κλῆμα, χαῖρε, καρποῦ ἀκήρατου κτῆμα. Χαῖρε, γεωργὸν γεωργοῦσα φιλάνθρωπον, χαῖρε, φυτουργὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἠμῶν φύουσα, Χαῖρε, ἄρουρα βλαστάνουσα εὐφορίαν οἰκτιρμῶν, χαῖρε, τράπεζα βαστάζουσα εὐθηνίαν ἱλασμῶν. Χαῖρε, ὅτι λειμῶνα τῆς τρυφῆς ἀναθάλλεις, χαῖρε, ὅτι λιμένα τῶν ψυχῶν ἑτοιμάζεις. Χαῖρε, δεκτὸν πρεσβείας θυμίαμα, χαῖρε, παντός τοῦ κόσμου ἐξίλασμα. Χαῖρε, Θεοῦ πρὸς θνητοὺς εὐδοκία, χαῖρε, θνητῶν πρὸς Θεὸν παρρησία. Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Luke.1.39-Luke.1.40 — In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah. Luke.1.40 — and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth
- ↩Luke.1.41-Luke.1.44 — And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke.1.42 — And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Luke.1.43 — And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Luke.1.44 — For behold, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
- ↩Luke.2.14 — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.
Notes
- 1 ↩ἐπιγνόν has no expressed object; the sense is recognition of Christ (or of Mary's coming) in the Visitation scene. "Him" is supplied for English clarity from that narrative context.
- 2 ↩γεωργὸν γεωργοῦσα and φυτουργὸν ... φύουσα are intentional wordplay (cultivate the Cultivator; grow the Planter). φιλάνθρωπον is kept as "who loves humankind." ἱλασμῶν rendered "atonement" for propitiatory sense without archaism.
- 3 ↩ἐξίλασμα is "propitiation/expiation"; rendered "atonement" for plain modern English while keeping sacrificial force. πρεσβείας is Marian intercession/advocacy.
- 4 ↩εὐδοκία is divine good pleasure/favor; παρρησία is confident freedom of approach before God, rendered "bold access."
Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing