only the servant of the high priest striking, but also Stephen preparing his martyrdom. Father, forgive them this sin. And the Son said these things to the Father not as if the Father did not know what the Son wills, or as if the Son doubted what the Father wants—for there is one will of the Father and the Son; for the Word knows that which the Mind wants, <and the Mind knows that> which the Word wants—, therefore He said these things not as being ignorant of the Father's will, but because the only-begotten Son wanted, even on the cross itself, to make a manifestation of the Father, so that He might not be slandered as a stranger and illegitimate, but as genuine and being of the same substance. For these reasons the only-begotten Son prays, that He may make a manifestation of the Father, so that what He received from the Father He Himself might also give in return to the Father. But someone might certainly say: What is it that He received from the Father, that He Himself might also give in return to the Father? Hear what you are not ignorant of; therefore I am reminding, not teaching. You heard at the baptism in the Jordan the Father crying from above: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him. The Father indicates and makes known the Son to men. Therefore the Son, wanting to return this testimony to the Father, cried out on the cross itself: Father, forgive them this sin, for they know not what they do. And that the only-begotten Son uttered these things for the sake of manifestation, hear the Son Himself saying to the Father: Father, I have manifested Your name to men. For on account of this is also the economy, that the Father might make known the Son, that the Son might make known the Father, and likewise that between the Father and the Son the Holy Spirit might also be made known. Likewise again hear the Son praying and saying to the Father: Father, forgive them this sin. But you, O hearer, do not deny this understanding, do not belittle the incomprehensible One. For if you belittle the Son, you also belittle the Father; for the Father is there, where the Son is. For this reason He is also called Son from "of what kind," that is, of what kind the Father is, such also is the Son. Therefore when you hear the only-begotten Son of God praying, understand it according to the principle of the incarnation. For He prays dispensationally, but works wonders in a manner befitting God; it is not one who suffers and another who works wonders. One and the same is He who sleeps and He who raises the dead, one and the same is He who hungers and He who satisfies, one and the same is the only-begotten Son who both dwelt in the virginal chamber without being confined, and was ineffably fixed on the wood of the cross, and slept for three days in the hewn tomb, and in the cloud of the ascension raised up the first-fruits of humanity, and lodges inexpressibly and timelessly in the Father's bosom, and is in no way absent either above or below. Great therefore are the graces of prayer, indelible its gifts. Prayer is the absence of affliction, the presence of joy, the consolation of friends, the gift-giving of the God over all. But someone might certainly say: What does it mean that prayer is the gift-giving of the God over all? What is it? You just heard the writer Moses saying: The Lord said to Eliphaz the Theomaneite: You and your two friends have sinned; for you have not spoken anything true before me, as has my servant Job. And now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my child Job, and he will make offerings on your behalf, and you shall live, for if I had not accepted his person, I would have destroyed you. Did you see prayer as a benefit to friends, and how God graciously gives to men forgiveness of transgressions through prayer? The Lord said to Eliphaz: You and your two friends have sinned. Go therefore to my child Job, and my servant Job will pray for you. Well does the Lord at the same time address Job as both child and servant; child, the name of servitude, servant, the achievement of piety.

μόνον ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ῥαπίζων, ἀλλὰ καὶ Στέφανος τὸ μαρτύριον εὐτρεπίζων. Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ υἱὸς ἔλεγε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα οὐχ ὡς τοῦ πατρὸς ἀγνοοῦντος τί βούλεται ὁ υἱὸς ἢ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀμφιβάλλοντος τί θέλει ὁ πατήρ- μία γὰρ βούλησις πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ οἶδεν ὁ λόγος ὃ θέλει ὁ νοῦς, <καὶ ἐκεῖνο οἶδεν ὁ νοῦς> ὃ θέλει ὁ λόγος-, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν τοίνυν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς βούλησιν ἔλεγε ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ὡς βουλόμενος καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τὴν ἐμφάνειαν τοῦ πατρὸς ποιήσασθαι, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ξένος καὶ νόθος διαβληθῇ, ἀλλ' ὡς γνήσιος καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὤν. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα προσεύχεται ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ὅπως τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν ἐμφάνειαν ποιήσηται, ὅπως ὃ ἔλαβε παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀντιδῷ καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ πατρί. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰπεῖν τινα· Τί ἐστιν ὃ ἔλαβε παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, ἵνα ἀντιδῷ καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ πατρί; Ἄκουε ἅπερ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς· διὸ ὑπομιμνήσκω, οὐ διδάσκω. Ἤκουες ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι τῷ Ἰορδανιαίῳ ἄνωθεν τοῦ πατρὸς βοῶντος· Οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. Ὁ πατὴρ τὸν υἱὸν σημαίνει καὶ γνωρίζει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Βουλόμενος τοίνυν ὁ υἱὸς ἀνταποδοῦναι ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ ἐβόα· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν. Καὶ ὅτι δι' ἐμφάνειαν ταῦτα ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ἐφώνησεν, ἄκουε αὐτοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα λέγοντος· Πάτερ , ἐφανέρωσά σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν καὶ ἡ οἰκονομία, ἵνα ὁ πατὴρ γνωρίσῃ τὸν υἱόν, ἵνα ὁ υἱὸς γνωρίσῃ τὸν πατέρα, ὡσαύτως μεταξὺ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ γνωρισθῇ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. Ὁμοίως πάλιν ἄκουε τὸν υἱὸν προσευχόμενον καὶ λέγοντα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ἀλλὰ σύ, ἀκρόατα, μὴ ἀρνήσῃ τὴν γνώμην, μὴ σμικρύνῃς τὸν ἀκατάληπτον. Ἐὰν γὰρ τὸν υἱὸν σμικρύνῃς, καὶ τὸν πατέρα σμικρύνεις· ἐκεῖ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ, ὅπου ἐστὶν ὁ υἱός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ υἱὸς προσηγόρευται ἀπὸ τοῦ οἷος, τουτέστιν οἷος ὁ πατήρ, τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ υἱός. ∆ιὸ ἀκούων τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸν προσευχόμενον , κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως λόγον ἐκλάμβανε. Προσεύχεται γὰρ οἰκονομικῶς, θαυματουργεῖ δὲ θεοπρεπῶς· οὐκ ἄλλος ὁ πάσχων καὶ ἄλλος ὁ θαυματουργῶν. Εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ὁ νεκροὺς ἐγείρων, εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ὁ πεινῶν καὶ ὁ χορτάζων, εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ὁ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρθενικῷ σηκῷ ἀστενοχωρήτως οἰκήσας, καὶ ἐν τῷ σταυριαίῳ ξύλῳ ἀρρήτως παγείς, καὶ ἐν τῷ λελαξευμένῳ μνημείῳ τὸ τριήμερον καθευδήσας, καὶ ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἀνασφαιρίσας, καὶ ἐν τῷ πατρῴῳ κόλπῳ ἀφράστως καὶ ἀχρόνως αὐλι ζόμενος, καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω μηδαμοῦ λειπόμενος. Μεγάλα τοίνυν τὰ τῆς προσευχῆς χαρίσματα, ἀνεξάλειπτα τὰ ταύτης δωρήματα. Προσευχὴ θλίψεως ἀπουσία, εὐφροσύνης ἐπιστασία, φίλων παραμυθία, τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ δωροδοσία. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰπεῖν τινα· Τί ἐστι προσευχὴ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ δωροδοσία; Τί ἐστιν; Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ συγγραφέως Μωσέως λέγοντος· Εἶπεν ὁ κύριος Ἐλιφὰζ τῷ Θεομανείτῃ· Ἥμαρτες σὺ καὶ οἱ δύο σου φίλοι· οὐ γὰρ ἐλαλήσατε ἐνώπιόν μου οὐδὲν ἀληθές, ὥσπερ ὁ θεράπων μου Ἰώβ. Καὶ νῦν λάβετε ἑπτὰ μόσχους καὶ ἑπτὰ κριοὺς καὶ πορεύθητε πρὸς τὸν παῖδά μου Ἰώβ, καὶ ποιήσει καρπώσεις ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ζήσεσθε, ὅτι εἰ μὴ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἔλαβα, ἀπώλεσα ἂν ὑμᾶς. Εἶδες προσευχὴν φίλων εὐεργεσίαν, καὶ πῶς ὁ θεὸς ἀνθρώποις διὰ προσευχῆς λύσιν πλημμελημάτων χαρίζεται; Εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ Ἐλιφάζ· Ἥμαρτες σὺ καὶ οἱ δύο σου φίλοι. Πορεύθητε οὖν πρὸς τὸν παῖδά μου Ἰώβ, καὶ προσεύξηται ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ὁ θεράπων μου Ἰώβ. Καλῶς ὁ κύριος ἐν ταὐτῷ τὸν Ἰὼβ καὶ παῖδα καὶ θεράποντα προσαγορεύει· παῖδα τὸ τῆς δουλείας ὄνομα, θεράποντα τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας κατόρθωμα.