having acquired the first-born creator! O humanity, that gave bodily substance to the eternal Word of God and in this part was preferred before the heavenly and intellectual powers! For Christ did not deign to be formed in the shapes of archangels, nor indeed in the immutable images of principalities and powers and authorities, but in you who were brought down to change and were compared to irrational beasts. For those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but she who was seized by frequent illness has obtained so great and such a physician, that having escaped the disease she is blessed with a salvation greater than health. But where now is the hostile and unthundering, the avenging and all-polluted dragon, he who promised to raise his own throne on high? Therefore, brothers, partakers of a blessed heavenly calling, called to adoption as sons of God and to brotherhood, we ought to give thanks to the one who called us and to present ourselves as worthy of the one who grants us brotherhood and as sons worthy of the one who bestows sonship upon us and has received us into adoption. Let us therefore willingly and out of love serve him, being ready for every achievement of righteousness, adorned with purity, pursuing poverty, persevering in the words of God, dedicated to holy prayers and sacred hymns of God, transforming ourselves from this age, forgetting earthly and mortal desires, overcoming evil with good, rendering evil to no one for evil, not considering that we should pass our time on earth, but be citizens of heaven, to converse with angels, to stand beside the throne of the heavenly kingdom. These are the teachings of the holy apostles, in these Christ made for us the blessed and eternal covenant. Let the world marvel at your virtue, let the Jews be put to shame seeing the new and chosen people, with how much spiritual beauty it is adorned, with how much splendor it illuminates the world. For this reason he has left us mingled among the nations, so that we may appear as lights in the world, so that we may be a seed of salvation for conversion, being seen by all who are with us and meet with us. See that no one among the gentiles blasphemes God because of you; but let the one who called and sanctified and saved us be praised among us. Let the violent and insolent man marvel at our gentleness and moderation; let the one who reviles, being well spoken of in return, be ashamed; let the one who quarrels about money and wishes to go to law find us untroubled about money, not considering ourselves to have earthly possessions, but holding to the heavenly one; let the one who through friendly exhortation approaches us for worldly pleasures find us reverent, unmovable, desiring self-control, not enticed by pleasure, so that they may know how powerful is the cohabitation of the Holy Spirit which has put to death the nature of the flesh. Let the one who is quick to perjury find that we do not even tolerate swearing an oath, but that we are afraid to use the name of God concerning humble and earthly matters. For in this way we will all be teachers of those who meet with us in any matter. And living in this way, we will truly become holy leaven, and through us the world will be leavened for salvation, and much fruit from us will be found preserved for the Lord, and God will be glorified in us according to the Lord who says: In this the Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. And the Lord, having been glorified by us, will glorify us with eternal glory, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory for ever and ever.

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δημιουργὸν πρωτότοκον κεκτημένη! Ὦ ἀνθρωπότης, ἡ τὸν ἀΐδιον τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον σωματικῶς οὐσιώσασα καὶ τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ νοερῶν δυναμέων ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει προτετιμημένη! Οὐ γὰρ ἠξίωσεν Χριστὸς μορφωθῆναι πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων μορφάς, οὔτε μὴν πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀρχῶν καὶ δυνάμεων καὶ ἐξουσιῶν ἀτρέπτους εἰκόνας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς σὲ τὴν κατενεχθεῖσαν εἰς τροπὴν καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις ζῴοις παρασυμβεβλημένην. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑγιαίνοντες οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν ἰατροῦ, ἡ δὲ νόσῳ συχνῇ κατασχεθεῖσα τηλικούτου καὶ τοιούτου τετύχηκεν ἰατροῦ, ὡς μείζονος τῆς ὑγείας εὐτυχής ἐστιν σωτηρίας τοῦ νοσήματος δραπετεύσαντος. Ἀλλὰ ποῦ νῦν ὁ δυσμενὴς καὶ ἀβρόντητος, ὁ ἀλάστωρ καὶ παμμίαρος δράκων, ὁ μετεωρίζειν εἰς ὕψος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπαγγειλάμενος; ∆ιό, ἀδελφοὶ μακαρίας κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, πρὸς υἱοθεσίαν θεοῦ καὶ ἀδελφότητα κεκλημένοι, εὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν τῷ καλέσαντι ἡμᾶς καὶ παρέχειν ἑαυτοὺς ἀξίους εἶναι τοῦ παρέχοντος ἡμῖν τὴν ἀδελφότητα καὶ ὡς υἱοὺς ἀξίους εἶναι τοῦ δωρουμένου ἡμῖν τὴν υἱότητα καὶ δεξαμένου ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν. Ἑκόντες οὖν καὶ ἐξ ἀγάπης δουλεύσωμεν αὐτῷ ἕτοιμοι ὄντες πρὸς πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνης κατόρθωσιν, ἁγνείᾳ κοσμούμενοι, ἀκτημοσύνην διώκοντες, λόγοις θεοῦ προσκαρτεροῦντες, εὐχαῖς ἁγίαις καὶ ὕμνοις θεοῦ ἱεροῖς ἀνακείμενοι, μετασχηματίζοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τῶν γηΐνων καὶ θνητῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, νικῶντες τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν, μηδενὶ κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἀποδιδόντες, μὴ λογιζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς διατρίβειν ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτεύεσθαι, μετ' ἀγγέλων ἀναστρέφεσθαι, τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας παραστῆναι. Ταῦτα τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ διδάγματα, ἐν τούτοις Χριστὸς ἡμῖν τὴν μακαρίαν καὶ αἰώνιον διαθήκην διέθετο. Θαυμασάτω τὴν ἀρετὴν ὑμῶν ὁ κόσμος, αἰσχυνθήτωσαν Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν νέον καὶ ἐκλεκτὸν λαὸν θεωροῦντες, ὅσῳ κάλλει κεκόσμηται πνευματικῷ, ὅσῃ λαμπρότητι καταυγάζει τὸν κόσμον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμᾶς μεμιγμένους ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα φαινώμεθα ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, ἵνα σπέρμα σωτηρίας ὦμεν εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν θεωρούμενοι πᾶσιν τοῖς συνοῦσι καὶ συντυγχάνουσιν. Ὁρᾶτε μή τις δι' ὑμᾶς τῶν ἐθνικῶν βλασφημήσει θεόν· εὐφημείσθω δὲ ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ καλέσας καὶ ἁγιάσας καὶ σώσας. Ὁ βίαιος καὶ θρασὺς θαυμασάτω τὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἡμῶν καὶ μετριότητα· ὁ λοιδορῶν ἀντευφημούμενος ἐντρεπέσθω· ὁ περὶ χρημάτων φιλονεικῶν καὶ δικάζεσθαι βουλόμενος ἀταράχους ἡμᾶς εὑρισκέτω περὶ χρήματα μὴ νομίζοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἔχειν κτῆσιν ἐπίγειον, ἀλλὰ κρατοῦντας τὴν ἐπουράνιον· ὁ διὰ παρακλήσεως φιλικῆς προσιέμενος ἡμᾶς εἰς ἡδονὰς κοσμικὰς εὑρισκέτω σεμνούς, ἀμετακινήτους, σωφροσύνην ποθοῦντας, οὐχ ἡδονῇ δελεαζομένους, ἵνα εἴδωσιν πόσον ἰσχύει πνεύματος ἁγίου συνοίκησις φύσιν σαρκὸς ἐκνεκρώσαντος. Ὁ πρόχειρος εἰς ἐπιορκίαν εὑρισκέτω μηδὲ ὀμνύειν ἀνεχομένους ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ δεδοικότας τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ προσφέρειν ὄνομα περὶ ταπεινῶν καὶ γηΐνων πραγμάτων. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐσόμεθα πάντες διδάσκαλοι τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἡμῖν ἐν οἱῳδήποτε πράγματι. Οὕτω δὲ πολιτευόμενοι ἀληθῶς γενησόμεθα ζύμη ἁγία καὶ δι' ἡμῶν ζυμωθήσεται ὁ κόσμος εἰς σωτηρίαν καὶ πόλυς ἐξ ἡμῶν καρπὸς εὑρεθήσεται τῷ κυρίῳ πεφυλαγμένος καὶ δοξασθήσεται ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα κύριον· Ἐν τούτῳ ἐδοξάσθη ὁ πατήρ, ἵνα ὑμεῖς καρπὸν πολὺν φέρητε καὶ γένησθέ μοι μαθηταί. ∆οξασθεὶς δὲ ὑφ' ἡμῶν ὁ κύριος δοξάσει ἡμᾶς τῇ αἰωνίῳ δόξῃ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.

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