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festival. Not only because of the multitude of the powers above, but also because of the abundance of good things, and the perpetual joy and gladness, he calls everything there a festival; For nothing else is accustomed to make a festival, but the multitude of those gathered, and the abundance of wares, when wheat and barley and all kinds of produce, and flocks of sheep, and herds of oxen, and garments, and other such things are brought in, some selling, others buying. And what of these things is in the heavens, he says? None of these, but things much more venerable than these. For not wheat and barley and kinds of produce, but the fruit of the spirit is everywhere there, love and joy and gladness and peace and goodness and gentleness with much abundance; not flocks of sheep and herds of oxen, but spirits 48.750 of just men made perfect, and virtues of souls, and right actions of characters can be seen everywhere in the heavens; not garments and cloaks, but crowns more precious than any gold and prizes and rewards and the myriad good things laid up for those who have acted rightly. And the multitude of those who gather is both much more venerable and greater; for it is not of city and country men, but there are myriads of angels, there are thousands of archangels, elsewhere a company of prophets, in another place choirs of martyrs, ranks of apostles, assemblies of the just, various peoples of all who have been well-pleasing. Truly wondrous is the festival, and what is greatest of all, is that in the midst of the festival moves the king of all these; for having said, To the festival of myriads of angels, he added, And to God the judge of all. Who has ever seen a king arriving at a festival? Here indeed no one has ever seen it, but there those present perpetually see him as it is possible for them to see, both present and adorning all who gather with the splendor of his own glory. And these festivals are often dissolved at midday, but that one is not so. For it does not await periods of months, nor cycles of years, nor a number of days, but it stands perpetually, and all the good things in it have no limit, know no end, cannot grow old or fade; but are ageless and immortal. There is no uproar there as here, no disturbance, but great is the order of all things with fitting discipline, as on a certain lyre, with rhythm they send up the all-harmonious melody, sweeter than any music, to the Master of both creations, and the soul there, as in sacred shrines and certain divine mysteries, is initiated into the divine rite.

b. To this blessed and ageless end, therefore, has passed today the

blessed Philogonius. What speech then could be a match for a man who has been deemed worthy of so great a goodly inheritance? There is none. What then, tell me, shall we be silent on this account? and for what reason have we come together? But shall we say that we will not be able to reach the magnitude of his deeds? For this very reason, therefore, it is necessary to speak, since this too is a very great part of an encomium, when words are not able to be made equal to deeds; for of those whose achievements are beyond mortal nature, it is clear that their encomia are also beyond the human tongue. Yet for this reason our efforts shall not be rejected, but shall imitate the same Master; for he, to the widow who cast in only two small coins, did not give the reward of only two small coins. Why so? Because he paid attention not to the quantity of the money, but to the wealth of her thought. For if you examine the money, her poverty is great; but if you unfold her intention, you will see an unspeakable treasure of magnanimity. So that even if our offerings are small and of little worth, yet they are what we have; and if it falls short of the magnanimity of the noble and just Philogonius, yet this too would be the greatest proof of his magnanimity, that he does not thrust away even small things, but 48.751 does the same as for those who are rich.

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πανηγύρει. Οὐ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος δὲ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ τὴν διηνεκῆ χαρὰν καὶ εὐφροσύνην, πανήγυριν τὰ ἐκεῖ πάντα καλεῖ· Πανήγυριν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ποιεῖν εἴωθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συνειλεγμένων, καὶ ἡ δαψίλεια τῶν ὠνίων, ὅταν πυροὶ καὶ κριθαὶ καὶ παντοδαπὰ γεννημάτων εἴδη, καὶ προβάτων ποίμνια, καὶ βοῶν ἀγέλαι. καὶ ἱμάτια, καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα εἰσάγηται, τῶν μὲν πωλούντων, τῶν δὲ ἀγοραζόντων. Καὶ τί τούτων ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, φησί; Τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν, τὰ δὲ τούτων πολλῷ σεμνότερα. Οὐ γὰρ πυροὶ καὶ κριθαὶ καὶ γεννημάτων εἴδη, ἀλλ' ὁ καρπὸς ἐκεῖ πανταχοῦ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀγάπη καὶ χαρὰ καὶ εὐφροσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ἀγαθωσύνη καὶ πραότης μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς δαψιλείας· οὐ προβάτων ποίμνια καὶ βοῶν ἀγέλαι, ἀλλὰ πνεύματα 48.750 δικαίων τετελειωμένων, καὶ ψυχῶν ἀρεταὶ, καὶ τρόπων κατορθώματα πανταχοῦ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐστιν ἰδεῖν· οὐχ ἱμάτια καὶ ἐπιβλήματα, ἀλλὰ στεφάνους χρυσοῦ παντὸς τιμιωτέρους καὶ βραβεῖα καὶ ἔπαθλα καὶ τὰ μυρία τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ἀποκείμενα ἀγαθά. Καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συνιόντων πολλῷ σεμνότερόν τε καὶ πλέον· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀστικῶν τε καὶ ἐπιχωρίων ἐστὶν ἀνδρῶν, ἀλλ' ἔνθα μυριάδες ἀγγέλων, ἐκεῖ χιλιάδες ἀρχαγγέλων, ἀλλαχοῦ συμμορία προφητῶν, ἑτέρωθι μαρτύρων χοροὶ, ἀποστόλων τάγματα, σύλλογοι δικαίων, τῶν εὐηρεστηκότων ἁπάντων δῆμοι διάφοροι. Ὄντως θαυμαστή τίς ἐστιν ἡ πανήγυρις, καὶ τὸ δὴ πάντων μεῖζον, ὅτι ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πανηγύρει στρέφεται τούτων ἁπάντων ὁ βασιλεύς· εἰπὼν γὰρ, Μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων. Τίς ποτε εἶδε ἐν πανηγύρει βασιλέα παραγινόμενον; Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὐδεὶς εἶδέ ποτε, ἐκεῖ δὲ διηνεκῶς οἱ παρόντες ὁρῶσιν ὡς αὐτοῖς ἰδεῖν δυνατὸν, καὶ παρόντα καὶ τῇ τῆς ἰδίας δόξης λαμπρότητι κοσμοῦντα τοὺς συνιόντας ἅπαντας. Καὶ αὗται μὲν αἱ πανηγύρεις τῆς ἡμέρας μεσούσης πολλάκις καταλύονται, ἐκείνη δὲ οὐχ οὕτως. Οὐ γὰρ περιόδους μηνῶν, οὐδὲ κύκλους ἐνιαυτῶν, οὐδὲ ἡμερῶν ἀριθμὸν ἀναμένει, ἀλλ' ἕστηκε διηνεκῶς, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ πάντα ἀγαθὰ πέρας οὐκ ἔχει, τέλος οὐκ οἶδεν, οὐ γηρᾷν οὐδὲ μαραίνεσθαι δύναται· ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀγήρω καὶ ἀθάνατα. Οὐδεὶς ἐκεῖ θόρυβος καθάπερ ἐνταῦθα, οὐδεμία ταραχὴ, ἀλλὰ πολὺς ὁ κόσμος πάντων μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης εὐταξίας, ὥσπερ ἐν κιθάρᾳ τινὶ, μετὰ ῥυθμοῦ τὴν παναρμόνιον μελῳδίαν καὶ πάσης ἡδίω μουσικῆς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τῆς κτίσεως ἑκατέρας ἀναπεμπόντων, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκεῖ καθάπερ ἐν ἱεροῖς ἀδύτοις καὶ θείοις τισὶ μυστηρίοις τὴν θείαν τελουμένης μυσταγωγίαν.

βʹ. Πρὸς ταύτην οὖν τὴν μακαρίαν καὶ ἀγήρω λῆξιν μετέστη σήμερον ὁ

μακάριος Φιλογόνιος. Τίς οὖν ἂν γένοιτο λόγος ἐφάμιλλος ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τοσαύτης εὐκληρίας ἀξιωθέντι; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδείς. Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, σιγήσομεν διὰ τοῦτο; καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν συνεληλύθαμεν; Ἀλλ' ἐροῦμεν ὅτι οὐ δυνησόμεθα τοῦ μεγέθους ἐφικέσθαι τῶν ἔργων; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο μέγιστον ἐγκωμίου μέρος, ὅταν μὴ δυνηθῇ τοῖς ἔργοις παρισωθῆναι τὰ ῥήματα· ὧν γὰρ ὑπὲρ φύσιν θνητὴν τὰ κατορθώματα, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρωπίνην γλῶτταν τὰ ἐγκώμια. Οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο διακρούσεται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτὸν μιμήσεται ∆εσπότην· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῇ χήρᾳ δύο μόνους ὀβολοὺς καταβαλούσῃ, οὐ δύο μόνων ὀβολῶν μισθὸν ἔδωκεν. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι οὐ τῇ ποσότητι τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλούτῳ τῆς διανοίας προσεῖχεν. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ τὰ χρήματα ἐξετάσῃς, πολλὴ ἡ πενία· ἂν δὲ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀναπτύξῃς, ἄφατον τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας ὄψει τὸν θησαυρόν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ μικρὰ τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ εὐτελῆ, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἔχομεν· καὶ εἰ μεγαλοψυχίας ἀποδέει τοῦ γενναίου καὶ δικαίου Φιλογονίου, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοῦτο τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας αὐτοῦ μέγιστον δεῖγμα ἂν εἴη, τὸ μηδὲ τὰ μικρὰ διωθεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ 48.751 ταυτὸ τοῖς πλουτοῦσι ποιεῖν.