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hastening, he brings back to temptation, conversing with the Jews, he caused him to be blasphemed; working miracles, he prepared for him to be stoned, he preferred the murderer and robber over him; he crucified robbers with the crucified one; for the buried one he sealed 52.798 the tomb; for the risen one he slanders the resurrection; but as he was being taken up and going away into the heavens, he had nothing to say, but wounded his own head all the more severely.

Therefore today has become more grievous for him than any festival, seeing the entire host of angels everywhere dancing, and some following, others running ahead, others meeting them, and still others conversing with the choir of the apostles, and saying: Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come again in the same way as you saw him going into heaven; this Jesus who showed the multitude of signs. The day of the Lord's Ascension, therefore, as has been said, caused the devil to mourn, but the faithful to rejoice. For now the delightful spring has dawned, and the beauties of the flowers have sprung up; the branches of the vine are heavy with fruit, the olive trees are in blossom, the fig trees have brought forth their early figs, and the dense cornfields are moved by the west wind, imitating the pleasure of the waves of the sea; all things rejoice with us at the Lord's Ascension. Come now, and I will strike up for you the words of David, which he just now cried out to us for the Lord's Ascension: All you nations, clap your hands; shout to God with a voice of exultation. The Lord ascended with the sound of a trumpet, to where he was; he was taken up, from where he was not separated. For he who descended is the same one who also ascended above the heavens. It is not one who appeared to the prophets, and another who spent time with the apostles; not one who is in the bosom of the Father, and another who was judged before Pilate; not one who was nailed to the cross with nails, and another who is carried by the Cherubim; not one who was wrapped in the linen cloth by Joseph, and another who holds creation in his palm; not one who was laid in the tomb, and another who is praised by the Seraphim; but he himself is seated with the Father, the one who sprouted without seed in the virgin's womb. God ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet; the maker of the ages, who brought all things from non-being into being, the fashioner of Adam, the author of human nature, who translated the well-pleasing Enoch to a place of life, who preserved Noah in the midst of the inhabited world, who called the patriarch Abraham from the land of the Chaldeans, who prefigured in Isaac the mystery of the cross, who granted the twelve-branched offspring to Jacob, who gave patience to Job, who appointed Moses as leader of the people, who filled Samuel with prophecy from the womb, who chose David as king from among the prophets, who gave wisdom to Solomon, who took up Elijah in an earthquake with a chariot of fire, who inspired the prophets with foreknowledge, who granted the gift of healing to the apostles, who cried out to them: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

This is the Lord of glory, who was taken up into the heavens with a shout, and sat down at the right hand of the Father. And with angels and authorities and powers subject to him, may he himself receive our laborious prayers, and he will show us as victors (sic) over the temptations of the world; he will subject to us every phalanx of unclean spirits, saying to us: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions.

Therefore he will keep us unharmed and blameless, healthy and whole in soul and body and spirit, filled with the fruits of righteousness and good deeds, who

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σπεύδοντα, πρὸς πειρασμὸν ἐπανάγει, διαλεγόμενον τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, βλασφημεῖσθαι πεποίηκε· θαυματουργοῦντα, λιθάζεσθαι παρεσκεύασε, τὸν φονέα καὶ λῃστὴν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ προετίμησε· σταυρωθέντι λῃστὰς συνεσταύρωσε· ταφέντι τὸ μνημεῖον ἐσφρά 52.798 γισεν· ἀναστάντι συκοφαντεῖ τὴν ἀνάστασιν· ἀναλαμβανομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀπιόντος, οὐκ εἶχέ τι φθέγξασθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐαυτοῦ μειζόνως κεφαλὴν ἐτραυμάτισε.

∆ιὸ πάσης αὐτῷ πανηγύρεως ἡ σήμερον χαλεπωτέρα καθειστήκει, ὁρῶντι πᾶσαν πανταχοῦ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων στρατιὰν χορεύουσαν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀκολουθοῦντας, ἄλλους δὲ προτρέχοντας, ἑτέρους ἀπαντῶντας, ἄλλους πάλιν τῷ χορῷ τῶν ἀποστόλων διαλεγομένους, καὶ λέγοντας· Ἄνδρες Γαλιλαῖοι, τί ἑστήκατε βλέποντες εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; Οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὕτω πάλιν ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν· οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τὴν πληθὺν τῶν σημείων ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ἡ τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς οὖν ἀναλήψεως ἡμέρα τὸν μὲν διάβολον, καθὼς εἴρηται, θρηνεῖν παρεσκεύασε, τοὺς δὲ πιστοὺς φαιδρύνεσθαι. Νῦν γὰρ τὸ τερπνὸν ἔαρ ἀνέτειλε, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνθῶν ἀνεφύησαν κάλλη· τὰ τῆς ἀμπέλου κατακομᾷ κλήματα τῶν καρπῶν, τὰ δένδρα τῆς ἐλαίας κυπρίζουσιν, αἱ συκαῖ τοὺς ὀλύνθους προσήνεγκαν, καὶ κινεῖται τῷ ζεφύρῳ πεπυκνωμένα τὰ λήϊα, τὴν τέρψιν τῶν κυμάτων μιμούμενα τῆς θαλάσσης· πάντα τῇ ∆εσποτικῇ ἀναλήψει μεθ' ἡμῶν φαιδρύνεται. Φέρε τοίνυν, κἀγὼ ἐφ' ὑμῖν τὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀνακρούσομαι ῥήματα, ἅπερ ἡμῖν ἀρτίως διὰ τὴν ∆εσποτικὴν ἀνάληψιν ἐβόα· Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος ἀνέβη, ὅπου ἦν· ἀνελήφθη, ὅθεν οὐκ ἐχωρίσθη. Ὁ γὰρ καταβὰς, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Οὐκ ἄλλος ὁ τοῖς προφήταις ὀφθεὶς, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις συνδιατρίψας· οὐκ ἄλλος ὃ ὢν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ ἐπὶ Πιλάτου κρινόμενος· οὐκ ἄλλος ὁ ἐπὶ σταυροῦ τοῖς ἥλοις προσηλωμένος, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ τοῖς Χερουβὶμ ἐποχούμενος· οὐκ ἄλλος ὁ ὑπὸ Ἰωσὴφ τῇ σινδόνι ἐντυλισσόμενος, καὶ ἄλλος τῇ παλάμῃ τὴν κτίσιν περιδρασσόμενος· οὐκ ἄλλος ὁ ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ κατατιθέμενος, καὶ ἄλλος ὑπὸ τῶν Σεφαρὶμ ἀνυμνούμενος· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς τῷ Πατρὶ συγκαθήμενος, ὁ ἐν τῇ παρθενικῇ μήτρᾳ ἀσπόρως βλαστήσας· Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος· ὁ τῶν αἰώνων ποιητὴς, ὁ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ σύμπαντα παραγαγὼν, ὁ πλάστης τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ὁ τῇς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως παραγωγεὺς, ὁ τὸν εὐάρεστον Ἐνὼχ εἰς χωρίον τῆς ζωῆς μεταστήσας, ὁ τὸν Νῶε φυλάξας μεταξὺ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὁ τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ γῆς Χαλδαίων προσκαλεσάμενος, ὁ τυπώσας ἐν τῷ Ἰσαὰκ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ μυστήριον, ὁ τὴν δωδεκάκλωνον τεκνογονίαν τῷ Ἰακὼβ χαρισάμενος, ὁ τὴν ὑπομονὴν τῷ Ἰὼβ παρασχὼν, ὁ ἡγεμόνα τοῦ λαοῦ τὸν Μωϋσῆν προβαλόμενος, ὁ προφητείας ἐκ μήτρας ἐμπλήσας τὸν Σαμουὴλ, ὁ τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰς βασιλέα ἐκ τῶν προφητῶν ἑλόμενος, ὁ τὴν σοφίαν τῷ Σολομῶντι παρασχόμενος, ὁ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐν συσσεισμῷ ἅρματι πυρίνῳ ἀναλαβὼν, ὁ τοῖς προφήταις ἐμπνεύσας τὴν πρόγνωσιν, ὁ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὴν δωρεὰν τῶν ἰαμάτων χαρισάμενος, ὁ τοῖς αὐτοῖς βοήσας· Θαρσεῖτε, νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον ἐγώ.

Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης, ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρός. Ὑποταγέντων δὲ αὐτῷ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἐξουσιῶν καὶ δυνάμεων, αὐτὸς τὰς ἐπιπόνους εὐχὰς ἡμῶν ἀναλάβοι, καὶ νικητὰς ἡμᾶς ἀναδείξει (σιξ) τῶν πειρατηρίων τοῦ κόσμου· ὑποτάξει ἡμῖν πᾶσαν τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων, λέγων πρὸς ἡμᾶς· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων.

Ἀβλαβεῖς τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἀμώμους, ὑγιεῖς καὶ ὁλοκλήρους διαφυλάξει ἡμᾶς ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι καὶ πνεύματι, πεπληρωμένους καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης καὶ εὐποιίας, ὁ