called the apostle. Let us honor him, therefore, according to our ability; for to speak according to our ability is a proof of gratitude; but to speak according to his worth, let us grant that this holds the prize against every speech. Let Barnabas, therefore, great among the apostles, be hymned by us the least; let the son of consolation be praised by all who believe in Christ; let him be glorified by all creation, who was honored by the Father and called by the Son and perfected by the Holy Spirit. Barnabas, the great orator of the church, the trumpet of the evangelical preaching, the voice of the only-begotten, the lyre of the Spirit, the plectrum of grace. Barnabas, the strong soldier of the wars for Christ, who in the body routed the bodiless tyrant with all his apostate army, the pious trainer of good lessons, the unerring guide of the flock of Christ, the rational paradise of God, who possessed in himself the flourishing plants of every virtue, the many-flowered shoot of faith, the most fragrant rose of love, the unfading flower of hope, the most fragrant ear of grain of grace, the much-fruitful branch of the life-giving vine, the honey-dripping cluster of immortality, the unshakable bulwark of patience, the cross-bearing hoplite of self-control, the fearless general against the Christ-killers, the heaven-high offshoot of the crucified Christ. Barnabas, the son of consolation, the teacher of piety, the pillar and roof of the faith, the unshaken tower, the unbreakable foundation, the indissoluble base, the immovable rock, the calm-bringing harbor of the storm-tossed, the consolation of all the afflicted, the faithful and prudent steward, the excellent architect who accomplished on earth the heavenly voyage and an angelic life, the protector of the churches, the helper of the poor and the provider and nourisher of the needy, the comfort of widows and the most caring father of orphans.

Barnabas, the treasury of the mysteries of Christ, the steward of the orthodox dogmas of the holy church of God, the unmercenary physician of the sick, the unfailing gladness of the healthy, the ever-watchful guardian of the flock of Christ, who walks on earth and has his citizenship in heaven, who proclaimed in the world the dogmas of piety and received in heaven eternal crowns, the God-bearing guide of the nations and the divinely blessed preacher of the churches, the meadow of the fragrance of Christ, the rose-garden of heaven-breathing virtues, the much-fruitful field of the gifts of Christ, who on earth pursued the incorruptible life, having lived on earth a better life, as do the bodiless angels in heaven, who excelled in asceticism and advanced in contemplation and was magnified in miracles, the precious pearl of virginity, the choice beryl of purity, the pure gold of chastity, who had Christ speaking in him, the chosen vessel of God, who left the world and considered all things in it as refuse, that he might gain only Christ, the king of the ages, who without hesitation took up his own cross and readily followed Christ as a true disciple, the banisher of demons and the wounder of the devil, who traversed the four-cornered world with tireless journeying as a good and master-loving servant, and brought all the nations through the gospel to the faith of Christ, who prepared himself as a dwelling-place of the consubstantial Trinity and became a temple of the God over all. Barnabas, the solemn adornment of the Cypriots and the unconquerable champion of the world, who loved Christ exceedingly and for His sake laid down his life each day and reigned with Him for ages of ages. The speech has labored, this divine and thrice-desired Barnabas the

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ὀνομαζόμενος ὁ ἀπόστολος. Τιμήσωμεν οὖν αὐτὸν κατὰ δύναμιν· τὸ γὰρ κατὰ δύναμιν εἰπεῖν εὐγνωμοσύνης ἀπόδειξις· τὸ δὲ κατ' ἀξίαν λέγειν συγχωρήσωμεν ἔχειν κατὰ παντὸς λόγου τὰ νικητήρια.Ὑμνείσθω τοίνυν πρὸς ἡμῶν τῶν ἐλαχίστων ὁ μέγας ἐν ἀποστόλοις Βαρνάβας· εὐφημείσθω ὁ υἱὸς τῆς πα ρακλήσεως παρὰ πάντων τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πιστευόντων· δοξαζέσθω ὑπὸ πάσης κτίσεως ὁ τιμηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ κληθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τελειωθεὶς τοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Βαρνάβας, ὁ μέγας τῆς ἐκκλησίας ῥήτωρ, ἡ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος σάλπιγξ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἡ φωνή, ἡ κιθάρα τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὸ τῆς χάριτος πλῆκτρον. Βαρνάβας, ὁ ἰσχυρὸς τῶν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτης πολέμων, ὁ ἐν τῷ σώματι τὸν ἀσώ ματον τύραννον τροπωσάμενος μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ συνα ποστάτου αὐτοῦ στρατεύματος, τῶν ἀγαθῶν μαθημάτων ὁ εὐσεβὴς παιδοτρίβης, ὁ ἀπλανὴς ὁδηγὸς τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποίμνης, ὁ λογικὸς παράδεισος τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ πάσης ἀρετῆς τὰ φυτὰ τεθηλότα ἐν ἑαυτῷ κεκτημένος, τὸ πολυανθὲς τῆς πίστεως βλάστημα, τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης εὐωδέστατον ῥόδον, τὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀμαράντινον ἄνθος, ὁ τῆς χάριτος εὐωδέστατος στάχυς, τῆς ζωοποιοῦ ἀμπέλου τὸ πολύφορον κλῆμα, τῆς ἀθανασίας ὁ μελίστακτος βότρυς, ὁ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀσάλευτος πρόβολος, ὁ τῆς ἐγκρατείας σταυροφόρος ὁπλίτης, ὁ κατὰ τῶν χριστοκτόνων ἄφοβος στρατηλάτης, ἡ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος Χριστοῦ οὐρανομήκης παραφυάς. Βαρνάβας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παρακλήσεως, ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος, ὁ στύλος καὶ ὄροφος τῆς πίστεως, ὁ πύργος ὁ ἄσειστος, ὁ θεμέλιος ὁ ἀρραγής, ἡ κρηπὶς ἡ ἀδιάλυτος, ἡ πέτρα ἡ ἀμετακίνητος, ὁ λιμὴν ὁ γαληνοφόρος τῶν χειμαζομένων, ἡ παράκλησις πάντων τῶν θλιβομένων, ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος καὶ φρόνιμος, ὁ ἄριστος ἀρχιτέκτων ὁ τὸν αἰθέριον πλοῦν καὶ ἰσάγγελον βίον ἐπὶ γῆς κατορθώσας, ὁ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προστάτης, ὁ τῶν πτωχῶν ἀντιλήπτωρ καὶ τῶν πενήτων χορηγὸς καὶ τροφεύς, ἡ τῶν χηρῶν παρηγορία καὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν κηδεμονέστατος πατήρ.

Βαρνάβας, ὁ θησαυρὸς τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστηρίων, ὁ ταμίας τῶν ὀρθοδόξων τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας δογμάτων, ὁ τῶν νο σούντων ἰατρὸς ἀκαπήλευτος, ἡ τῶν ὑγιαινόντων ἀ διάπτωτος εὐφροσύνη, ὁ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγέλης φι λάγρυπνος φύλαξ, ὁ βαίνων ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχων, ὁ βοήσας ἐν κόσμῳ δόγματα εὐ σεβείας καὶ λαβὼν ἐν οὐρανοῖς αἰώνια στέμματα, ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν θεοφόρος ὁδηγὸς καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν θεομακά ριστος κήρυξ, ὁ λειμὼν τῆς εὐωδίας Χριστοῦ, ἡ ῥοδωνία τῶν οὐρανοπνόων ἀρετῶν, τὸ πολύφορον γεώργιον τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χαρισμάτων, ὁ ἐπὶ γῆς μετελθὼν τὴν πολιτείαν τὴν ἄφθαρτον, κρείττονα βιώσας ἐπὶ γῆς ὡς ἐν οὐρανοῖς οἱ ἀσώματοι ἄγγελοι, ὁ ἐν ἀσκήσει διαπρέψας καὶ ἐν θεωρίαις προκόψας καὶ ἐν θαύμασι με γαλυνθείς, ὁ τῆς παρθενίας πολύτιμος μαργαρίτης, τῆς ἁγνείας τὸ ἐκλεκτὸν βηρύλλιον, τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸ καθαρὸν πάζιον, ὁ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ τὸν κόσμον κα ταλείψας καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα σκύβαλα ἡγησάμενος, ἵνα Χριστὸν μόνον κερδήσῃ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν αἰώνων, ὁ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σταυρὸν ἀδιστάκτως ἀράμενος καὶ τῷΧριστῷ προθύμως ἀκολουθήσας ὡς ἀληθινὸς μαθητής, ὁ τῶν δαιμόνων φυγαδευτὴς καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τραυματιστής, ὁ τὴν τετραπέρατον οἰκουμένην τῇ ἀκαμάτῳ πορείᾳ βαδίσας ὡς λειτουργὸς ἀγαθὸς καὶ φιλοδέσποτος, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου προσαγαγὼν τῇ πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ ἑαυτὸν ἑτοιμάσας εἰς κατοικητήριον τῆς ὁμοουσίου τριάδος καὶ ναὸς γενόμενος τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ. Βαρνάβας, τὸ τῶν Κυπρίων σεμνὸν ἐγ καλλώπισμα καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀκαταγώνιστος πρόμαχος, ὁ ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ἀγαπήσας τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προϊέμενος καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ βασιλεύσας εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων.Ἔκαμεν ὁ λόγος, τοῦτον τὸν θεσπέσιον καὶ τριπόθητονΒαρνάβαν τὸν

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