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his unto the end of heaven, and there is none that shall hide from his heat. He will rejoice as a giant to run his course.

He rejoiced, as was just now heard in the Gospel, because of the finding of the one lost sheep. For he left the ninety-nine sheep that had not gone astray, that is, the angelic powers, upon the mountains, that is, upon the heavens, and came to the sheep that had gone astray, crying out and saying: I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commandments. For hearing such a voice from the sheep that had gone astray, he bowed the heavens and came down, and came to seek the sheep that had gone astray, and finding it, he rejoiced. He will rejoice as a giant to run a course. He ran the course from the heavens to the earth, rejoicing; then from the earth he ran to the things under the earth; then there, having loosed all the souls held by the devil, he ran down to the earth, and again from the earth to the heavens to the Father, he leapt as a giant. And there is none that shall hide from his heat. Hearing the heat of Christ, understand him as the sun of righteousness. And there is none that shall hide from his heat. For who, having been made dead by the coldest death, will hide from the heat of his Spirit, and will not all rise from the dead? For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Then what follows, beloved? Though we have spoken a few things out of many, concerning,

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, let us cast our minds on the following verse: Amen I say to you, that if two of you agree on the same thing concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be given to them. Abraham, agreeing with Sarah his wife, he running to the cattle, and she hastening the loaves, they received a wonderful thing in their old age, bearing the fruit of their loins, a child. Jacob the patriarch, being of one mind with his mother, received the fruit of an eternal blessing. Moses and Aaron, being in agreement, utterly destroyed all of Egypt, liberating the race of the Hebrews. Joshua and Caleb, being of one mind, alone inherited the land of promise. Deborah, agreeing with Barak, conquered the most cruel tyrant. Judith, being of one mind with her own maidservant, conquered the foreigner Holofernes. Tobias, being of one mind with the angel, bound the man-slaying demon of his own wife, and opened the closed eyes of his father. Hezekiah and Isaiah, praying with one voice, overthrew one hundred and eighty-five thousand foreigners. Paul and Silas, praying with one voice in the prison, caused the foundations of the prison to be shaken.

But it is also possible to understand the letter in another way, If two agree on the same thing concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be given to them. If these two, which greatly disagree and contend, should agree; that is, flesh and spirit, since the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; if these two agree, so that one rules, and the other serves; one is temperate, and the other does not speak against it; then the Lord will be between soul and flesh, and concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be given to them. For many who practiced this were heard, like Elijah on the mountain, and Daniel in the den, and Jonah in the whale, and Hezekiah on the bed of his sickness, and Peter in Joppa, and Cornelius in Caesarea. And many women also, praying alone, were heard; like Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, in Ecbatana, and Judith in the upper room, and Susanna at the judgment of the lawless men. Then Peter, it says, came and said to the Lord: How many times shall I forgive my brother who has sinned against me? Up to seven times? But the Lord 60.762 what does he say to him? I do not say to you, Up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

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αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ. Ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ.

Ἠγαλλιάσατο, ὡς ἀρτίως ἠκούετο ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, διὰ τὴν εὕρεσιν τοῦ ἀπολωλότος ἑνὸς προβάτου. Εἴασε γὰρ τὰ ἐννενηκονταεννέα πρόβατα μὴ πεπλανημένα, τουτέστι, τὰς ἀγγελικὰς δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, τουτέστιν, ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ πεπλανημένον πρόβατον τὸ βοῶν καὶ λέγον· Ἐπλανήθην ὡς πρόβατον ἀπολωλός· ζήτησον τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Τῆς γὰρ τοιαύτης φωνῆς ἀκούσας τοῦ πεπλανημένου προβάτου ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς καὶ κατέβη καὶ ἦλθε ζητῆσαι τὸ πεπλανημένον πρόβατον, καὶ εὑρὼν ἠγαλλιάσατο. Ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν. Ἔδραμε τὴν ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ γῆν ὁδὸν ἀγαλλιῶν· εἶτα ἀπὸ γῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὑποχθόνια ἔδραμεν· εἶτα ἐκεῖ πάσας τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου κατεχομένας ψυχὰς λύσας, εἰς γῆν κατέδραμε, καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, ὡς γίγας ἐνήλατο. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ. Θέρμην ἀκούων Χριστοῦ, νόει αὐτὸν ἥλιον δικαιοσύνης. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ. Τίς γὰρ τῷ ψυχροτάτῳ θανάτῳ νεκρωθεὶς, ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ οὐχὶ πάντες ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστήσονται; Σαλπίσει γὰρ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐγερθήσονται ἄφθαρτοι. Εἶτα τὸ ἑξῆς τί, ἀγαπητοί; Εἰ καὶ ὀλίγα ἀπὸ πολλῶν εἰρηκότες, εἰς τὸ,

Ὅσα ἐὰν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, εἰς τὸν ἑξῆς στίχον τὸν νοῦν ἡμῶν ἐπιῤῥίψωμεν· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν δύο συμφωνήσωσι ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ περὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται, δοθήσεται αὐτοῖς. Ἀβραὰμ συμφωνήσας μετὰ Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ μὲν εἰς τὰς βόας δραμὼν, ἡ δὲ τοὺς ἄρτους ἐπισπεύσασα, πρᾶγμα παράδοξον ἐπὶ γῆρας ἐδέξαντο, τόκον λαγόνων καρπωσάμενοι παῖδα. Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης ὁμονοήσας μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ εὐλογίας αἰωνίου δέδεκται καρπόν. Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν συμφωνήσαντες, ὅλην Αἴγυπτον ἐξεπόρθησαν, τὸ τῶν Ἑδραίων ἐλευθερώσαντες γένος. Ἰησοῦς καὶ Χαλὲβ ὁμονοήσαντες μόνοι τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐκληρονόμησαν γῆν. ∆εβόῤῥα μετὰ Βαρὰκ συμφωνήσασα τὸν ὠμότατον ἐνίκησαν τύραννον. Ἰουδὶθ μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας θεραπαινίδος ὁμονοήσασα τὸν ἀλλόφυλον ἐνίκησαν Ὀλοφέρνην. Τωβίας μετὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ὁμονοήσας τὸν ἀνδροκτόνον δαίμονα τῆς ἰδίας γαμετῆς συνέδησε, καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ὀφθαλμοὺς κεκλεισμένους ἠνέῳξεν. Ἐζεκίας καὶ Ἡσαΐας ὁμοφώνως εὐξάμενοι, ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας ἀλλοφύλων κατέστρωσαν. Παῦλος καὶ Σίλας ὁμοφώνως ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ εὐξάμενοι, τὰ θεμέλια τῆς φυλακῆς σεισθῆναι ἐποίησαν.

Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλως νοῆσαι τὸ γράμμα, Ἐὰν δύο συμφωνήσωσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ περὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται, δοθήσεται αὐτοῖς. Ἐὰν τὰ δύο ταῦτα πολὺ διστασιάζοντα καὶ φιλονεικοῦντα συμφωνήσωσι· τουτέστι, σὰρξ καὶ πνεῦμα, καθ' ὅτι ἡ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός· ἐὰν συμφωνήσωσι τὰ δύο ταῦτα, ἵνα τὸ μὲν κυριεύῃ, τὸ δὲ δουλεύῃ· τὸ μὲν σοφρονῇ, τὸ δὲ μὴ ἀντιλέγῃ· τότε ὁ Κύριος ἔσται ἀνὰ μέσον ψυχῆς καὶ σαρκὸς, καὶ περὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται, δοθήσεται αὐτοῖς. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀσκήσαντες εἰσηκούσθησαν, ὡς Ἠλίας ἐν τῷ ὄρει, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ, καὶ Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῷ κήτει, καὶ Ἐζεκίας ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ Πέτρος ἐν Ἰόππῃ, καὶ Κορνήλιος ἐν Καισαρείᾳ. Πολλαὶ δὲ καὶ μόναι γυναῖκες εὐξάμεναι εἰσηκούσθησαν· ὡς Σάῤῥα τοῦ Ῥαγουὴλ ἐν Ἐκβατάνοις, καὶ Ἰουδίθ ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ, καὶ Σωσάννα ἐν τῇ κρίσει τῶν παρανόμων. Τότε προσελθὼν, φησὶν, ὁ Πέτρος εἶπε τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ποσάκις ἀφήσω τῷ ἀδελφῷ μου εἰς ἐμὲ ἁμαρτήσαντι; ἕως ἑπτάκις; Ὁ δὲ Κύριος 60.762 τί φησι πρὸς αὐτόν; Οὐ μόνον λέγω σοι, Ἕως ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ' ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά.