Greek class - the birth of Christ

I've just begun a second reading of the Gospels for the next five or so months, which should take me nicely into the Easter season. But I've just completed an English reading, so I thought I'd try to remember what they taught us in seminary and read it in the Greek of the Nestlé-Aland preparation, a copy of which was given to us by the seminary. Now, thanks to typegreek.com, here's the section from the Gospel of Matthew (end of chapter one) on the birth of Christ. I'll use punctuation that we commonly use in English, so things are slightly clearer.

"Ταυτα δὲ αὐτου ἐνθυμηθέντος, ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Kυρίου κατ' ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῳ λέγων, 'Ιωσὴφ, υἱος Δαυίδ, μὴ φοβηθῃς παραλαβειν Μαρίαν τὴν γυναικά σου· Τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῃ γεννηθὲν ἐκ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου. Τέξεται δε Υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ Ὄνομα Αὐτου Ἰησουν· αὐτὸς γαρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτου ἀπὸ των ἁμαρτιων αὐτων.' Τουτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῃ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ Κυρίου διὰ του προφήτου, λεγοντος· 'Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτου Ἐμμανουήλ,' ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον μεθ' ἡμων ὁ θεός. Ἐγερθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ του ὕπνου ἐποίησεν ὡς προσέταξεν αὐτῳ ὁ ἄγγελος Kυρίου καὶ παρέλαβεν τὴν γυναικα αὐτου. Καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὑ ἔτεκεν Υἱόν· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ Ὄνομα Αὐτου Ἰησουν." 

When I first look at the text, my first moments of confusion and enthusiasm from the beginning of my study of Greek at Dominican school, many years ago, return. But then the years of reading narrative texts return, and patterns leap out. The verbs jump out, like familiar friends, and it's not too difficult to read again. It's worth remembering that this was the language the Gospels were all written in (although the Gospel of S. Matthew may have first been written in Aramaic for a Hebrew audience), and that the Greek Gospels have been handed down to us through the centuries, and are still in liturgical use in the Eastern Churches. In the West, since the early centuries, Greek has grown from being a familiar language to the educated elite and of some commercial use to being a foreign language and mostly incomprehensible. But it's our heritage, and even a passing knowledge of some basic words is rewarding. Some quick notes on this quote above (Gospel of S. Matthew, 1: 20-25)

• Poor Saint Joseph, our dear and blessed Patron, has just discovered that his newly betrothed is with child and, though the Law of Moses permits him to dishonour her publicly as an adulteress, he is a kindly man and wants to give her a private divorce and let her off. That's where this section begins, for when he had made up his mind so to proceed (ἐνθυμηθέντος, ἐνθυμέομαι), an angel (ἄγγελος Kυρίου) arrived in his dreams with a message.
• Joseph must not be afraid to take (παραλαβειν, παραλαμβάνω) Mary as his wife, that is, to complete the marriage. For What is within her womb is of the Holy Ghost (ἐκ Πνεύματός ἁγίου). She is to have a son, whose name is to be Jesus (τὸ Ὄνομα Αὐτου Ἰησουν). The name 'Jesus' means 'God saves,' and the angel goes on to say that the boy will save (σώσει, σῴζω) his people from their sins. 
• Saint Matthew now elaborates that this is the fulfilment of a prophecy, made through the prophet Isaiah, and I've italicised it in the text above. The prophecy says that a virgin (ἡ παρθένος) will conceive and bear a son, who is to be called by the name Emmanuel (Ἐμμανουήλ). With the gigantic verb μεθερμηνευόμενον, Saint Matthew proceeds to say that this name (Emmanuel) means God-with-us (μεθ' ἡμων ὁ θεός). 
• The next thing we know is that Saint Joseph has risen from his dream and followed what the angel had recommended (προσέταξεν, προστάσσω) and married the Blessed Virgin. It also states that he did not have carnal knowledge of her until she bore her Son (ὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὑ ἔτεκεν Υἱόν, literally, didn't know her until...), and as we Catholics know never did. And the Child was named Jesus.

Joseph asleep. Time for another dream.