to the one who initiated the good things, this one is idle and ungrateful and impious, sinning in a way not pardonable either for a great man or a small one; if he is someone great and high-minded, by not bearing on his mouth with all thanksgiving and honor his great benefactions; but if small and contemptible, by not hymning and praising with all his power the benefactor not only of great things, but also of small. For those then who are greater and excel in power of soul, as if from greater abundance and great wealth, it is necessary to render to their benefactors greater and more generous praises according to their ability; but for the small and those who are in straitened circumstances, it is not fitting for them either to be neglectful or slothful, nor to be dispirited, as though being able to bring nothing worthy or perfect; but as poor, yet grateful, having measured not the power of the one being honored, but their own, to offer up honors from their present ability, which will perhaps be gracious and pleasing to the one honored, and not in a secondary place with him compared to the great and many gifts, if they should offer them with some greater eagerness and a whole mind. Thus it is related in sacred books, that a certain small and poor woman, along with rich and powerful men who were offering great and costly things from their wealth, she alone contributing small and very little things, but nevertheless all that she had, bore away the testimony of the greater gift. For I do not think the sacred word weighed generosity and magnificence by the quantity of the material given, which is external, but rather by the intentions and choices offering them. Therefore it is not at all fitting for us to shrink back from fear that our thanksgiving will not be equal to the benefactions, but quite the contrary to dare and to try, if not equal honors, at least to offer such as are possible by way of return; if somehow falling short of the perfect things, our discourse might at least attain to the partial, having escaped the reputation of complete ungratefulness. For truly useless is complete silence, under the plausible pretext of not being able to say anything worthy; but the attempt at requital is always well-judged, even if the power of the one offering thanks is less than what is deserved. For if I am not able to speak worthily, I will not be silent; but if I fulfill all that is possible for me, I will even take pride. Let this discourse then be for me a thank-offering; I would not wish to speak to the God of all; and yet from him are all the beginnings of good things for us, and from him it is right for us to begin our thanksgivings or hymns and praises. But not even if I should bring and offer my whole self—not as I now am, profane and unclean, mixed and defiled with all-accursed and unclean evil, but myself stripped as most pure and most radiant and most sincere and unmixed with anything worse—not even if I, I say, having become as if stripped bare, should offer my whole self, could I bring from myself any worthy gift for honor and requital to the ruler and cause of all; whom neither has anyone ever individually, nor all together, as if all pure things should become one and the same, having gone out of themselves and rather turned toward him, all at once with one spirit and one harmonious impulse, could be able to praise worthily. For whatever of his own creations anyone could conceive most excellently and completely and, if it were possible, could speak worthily about it; but on account of that very power, which he has been deemed worthy of, having received it not from anyone else, but from him, there is no way that having procured anything greater from anywhere else he could dedicate it in thanksgiving.

4 But the praises and hymns to the king and guardian of all, the perpetual fount of all good things, we will entrust to the one who even in this heals our weakness and alone is able to fill up what is lacking, to the protector and savior of our souls, to his first-born Word, the creator and pilot of all things; for it is possible for him alone, both on his own behalf and on behalf of all, both of each one individually and of all together at once, to send up continual and unceasing thanksgivings to the Father. Because he, being the truth and the wisdom of his Father of all

ἄρξαντι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀργὸς οὗτος καὶ ἀχάριστος καὶ ἀσεβής, ἐξαμαρτάνων οὐ συγγνωστὰ οὔτε μεγάλῳ οὔτε μικρῷ· εἰ μὲν μέγας τίς ἐστι καὶ μεγαλόνους, οὐκ ἀνὰ στόμα φέρων σὺν πάσῃ εὐχαριστίᾳ καὶ τιμῇ τὰς μεγάλας αὐτοῦ εὐεργεσίας· εἰ δὲ μικρὸς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος, οὐκ ἀνυμνῶν καὶ εὐφημῶν πάσῃ τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει τὸν οὐ μεγάλων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μικρῶν εὐεργέτην. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν μείζοσι καὶ διαβεβηκόσι δυνάμει ψυχῆς, οἷα δὴ ἐκ πλείονος περιουσίας καὶ μεγάλου πλούτου, μείζους καὶ φιλοτιμοτέρας ἀναγκαῖον ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς εὐεργέταις τὰς κατὰ δύναμιν εὐφημίας· τοῖς δὲ μικροῖς καὶ ἐν στενῷ καθεστῶσιν οὐδ' αὐτοῖς ἀμελεῖν οὐδὲ ῥᾳθυμεῖν προσῆκον, οὐδ' ἀναπεπτωκέναι, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄξιον φέρειν οὐδὲ τέλειον δυναμένοις· ἀλλ' οἷα πένητας μέν, εὐγνώμονας δέ, οὐ τὴν τοῦ τιμωμένου, τὴν δ' αὑτῶν δύναμιν μετρήσαντας, ἐκ τῆς παρούσης δυνάμεως ἀναφέρειν τὰς τιμάς, χαριέσσας ἴσως ἐσομένας καὶ καταθυμίους τῷ τετιμημένῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν δευτέρᾳ χώρᾳ παρ' αὐτῷ τῶν μεγάλων καὶ πολλῶν, εἰ σύν τινι προθυμίᾳ μείζονι καὶ γνώμῃ προσφέροιεν ὁλοκλήρῳ. Οὕτως ἐν ἱεραῖς βί βλοις φέρεται, ὅτι δὴ μικρά τις καὶ πτωχὴ γυνὴ ἅμα πλουσίοις καὶ δυνατοῖς, οἳ προσέφερον ἐκ τοῦ πλούτου μεγάλα καὶ πολυτελῆ, μόνη μικρὰ μὲν καὶ ἐλάχιστα, πάντα δὲ ὅμως τὰ ὄντα αὐτῇ συμβαλλομένη, τὴν τῆς πλείονος δόσεως μαρτυρίαν ἀπηνέγκατο. Οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι τῷ ποσῷ τῆς διδομένης ὕλης, οὔσης ἔξωθεν, ταῖς δὲ προφερούσαις γνώμαις μᾶλλον καὶ προαιρέσεσι τὴν φιλοτιμίαν καὶ τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν ὁ ἱερὸς λόγος ἐσταθμή σατο. Οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς ἀποκνεῖν πάντη προσῆκον δέει τοῦ μὴ ἐξισωθήσεσθαι τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον τολμᾶν καὶ πειρᾶσθαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὰς ἴσας, τὰς γοῦν δυνατὰς προφέρειν ὡς ἐν ἀμοιβῇ τιμάς· εἴ πως τῶν τελείων διαμαρτάνων, τῶν ἐπὶ μέρους γοῦν τεύξηται ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, τὴν παντελῆ τῆς ἀχαριστίας δόξαν διαδράς. Ἄχρηστον γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἡ παντελῶς σιωπή, ὑπὸ πιθανῷ τῷ τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι ἄξιόν τι λέγειν προκαλύμματι· εὔγνωμον δὲ ἡ πεῖρα ἡ πρὸς τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀεί, κἂν ἥττων τῆς ἀξίας δύναμις τοῦ τὴν χάριν ἀναφέροντος ᾖ. Οὐ γὰρ εἰ μὴ κατ' ἀξίαν οἷός τέ εἰμι λέγειν, σιωπήσομαι· ἀλλ' εἰ ἀποπλήσω πάνθ' ἅ μοι δυνατόν ἐστι, καὶ σεμνυ νοῦμαι. Ἔστω δή μοι ὁ λόγος ὅδε χαριστήριος· θεῷ μὲν τῷ τῶν ὅλων οὐκ ἂν ἐθελήσαιμι λέγειν· καίτοι γε ἐκεῖθεν ἡμῖν πᾶσαι μὲν αἱ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀρχαί, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν εὐχαριστιῶν ἢ ὕμνων καὶ αἴνων ἄρχεσθαι χρή. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδ' εἰ ὅλον ἐμαυτόν, μὴ οἷος μὲν νῦν εἰμι βέβηλος καὶ ἀκάθαρτος, ἀναμεμιγμένος καὶ πεφυρμένος παναγεῖ καὶ ἀκαθάρτῳ κακῷ, γυμνὸν δὲ αὑτὸν ὅτι καθαρώτατον λαμπρότατόν τε καὶ εἱλικρινέστατον καὶ ἀμιγῆ παντὸς χείρονος, οὐδ' εἰ ὅλον, φημί, γυμνὸν ὥσπερ τινὰ γενόμενον φέρων ἐπιδοίην, φέροιμι ἄν τι παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ δῶρον ἄξιον εἰς τιμὴν καὶ ἀμοιβὴν τῷ πάντων ἡγεμόνι καὶ αἰτίῳ· ὃν οὔτε ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος πώποτε, οὔτε καὶ ἅμα πάντες, ὡς εἰ ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸ γένοιντο πάντα καθαρά, αὑτῶν μὲν ἐκστάντα, πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ ἐπιστρέψαντα μᾶλλον, ἀθρόα ἑνὶ πνεύματι καὶ μιᾷ ὁρμῇ τῇ συμφώνῳ, ἀξίως ἂν εὐφημῆσαι δύναιντο. Ὅ τι γὰρ τῶν αὐτοῦ δημιουρ γημάτων καὶ διανοηθῆναί τις ἄριστα καὶ ὁλοκλήρως καί, εἰ οἷόν τε, εἰπεῖν κατ' ἀξίαν περὶ αὐτοῦ δυνηθείη· αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως ἕνεκεν, ἧς ἠξίωται οὐ παρ' ἄλλου του, παρ' αὐτοῦ δὲ λαβών, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅπως ἂν ἄλλο τι μεῖζόν ποθεν εὐπορήσας εἰς εὐχαριστίαν ἀναθείη.

4 Ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν εἰς τὸν πάντων βασιλέα καὶ κηδεμόνα, τὴν διαρκῆ πηγὴν πάντων ἀγαθῶν, εὐφημίας καὶ ὕμνους τῷ κἀν τούτῳ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἡμῶν ἰωμένῳ καὶ τὸ ἐνδέον ἀναπληροῦν μόνῳ δυναμένῳ ἐπιτρέψομεν, τῷ προστάτῃ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν καὶ σωτῆρι, τῷ πρωτο γενεῖ αὐτοῦ λόγῳ, τῷ πάντων δημιουργῷ καὶ κυβερνήτῃ· αὐτῷ μόνῳ ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων, ἰδίᾳ τε ἑκάστου καὶ ἀθρόον ἅμα, δυνατὸν ὂν ἀναπέμπειν διηνεκεῖς καὶ ἀδιαλείπτους τῷ πατρὶ τὰς εὐχαριστίας. Ὅτι αὐτὸς ἡ ἀλήθεια ὢν καὶ ἡ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων καὶ σοφία