3

this hindrance has been removed; for he does not heed an enemy, and interrupt your petition; but you can always and continually make intercession, and there is no difficulty; for there is no need of those who bring you forward: doorkeepers, stewards, managers, guards, or friends, but when you approach yourself, through yourself, then he will especially hear you, then, when you ask for no one. 3. We do not, then, so prevail upon him when we ask through others, as when we do through ourselves. For since he loves our friendship, and does all things so that we may have confidence in him; when he sees us doing this through ourselves, then he especially assents. So also he did in the case of the Canaanite woman; and when Peter and James approached on her behalf, he did not assent; but when she persisted, he quickly gave what was asked. For if he seemed to delay a little, he did this not to put off the little woman, but to crown her more greatly, and to make her persistence more his own. Let us, therefore, also practice making intercession to God; 55.43 let us learn how we must make this intercession. There is no need to go to a museum, nor to spend money, nor to hire tutors, and rhetoricians, and sophists, nor to spend much time, to learn this rhetoric; but it is enough only to be willing, and the elements of the art are perfected. And you will be able to speak in this court not only for yourself, but also for many others. And what is the aim of this legal art? The manner of prayer. To approach him with a sober mind, with a contrite soul, with fountains of tears, to ask nothing of this life, to desire the things to come, to make intercession for spiritual things, not to pray against enemies, to bear no malice, to cast out all passions from the soul, to approach thus, crushing the heart, to be restrained, to practice much gentleness, and to turn the tongue to praise, to have no part in any wicked deeds, to have nothing in common with the common enemy of the world, I mean the devil. For even the secular laws punish one who speaks to the king on behalf of others, and communicates with his enemies. You, therefore, if you wish to speak both for yourself and for others, achieve this most of all: to have nothing in common with the common enemy of the world. For thus you will be righteous; and being righteous, you will be heard, having such an advocate. In affliction you have made room for me. He did not say, You took away the afflictions, nor, You removed the temptations, but, You allowed them to stand, and You made room for me. For the resourcefulness of God and his abundance of means are shown especially from this, not only in removing the afflictions, but also in providing much relief while they remain. This both shows the power of God and makes those who fall into them more philosophical, when there is both a broad space comforting the afflicted soul, and the affliction is not destroyed, tightening it when it is lax, and delivering it from all indifference. And how, he says, can there be a broadening in affliction? As in the furnace of the three youths, as in the den of lions. For He did not extinguish the flame, and then cause them to be in a wide space; nor did He kill the lions, and then place him in safety; but both there while the furnace was burning fiercely, and here while the beasts remained, the righteous enjoyed much relief. But it is also possible to speak of a wide space in another way; for instance, when the soul, afflicted by temptations, is delivered from the passions, and from its many diseases; for then it especially enjoys the wide space. For many who remain in prosperity have most absurd desires, afflicting their soul, both for money, and bodies, and other such absurd things; but falling into affliction, they are freed from all those things, and come to be in a wide space. And just as those who are in fevers, as long as they enjoy the

3

τοῦτο ἀνῄρηται τὸ κώλυμα· οὔτε γὰρ ἐχθρῷ προσέχει, καὶ διακόπτει σου τὴν αἴτησιν· ἀλλ' ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐντυγχάνειν δύνασαι, καὶ δυσκολία οὐδεμία πρόσεστιν· οὔτε γὰρ χρεία τῶν προσαγαγόντων θυρωρῶν, οἰκονόμων, ἐπιτρόπων, φυλάκων, ἢ φίλων, ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ προσέλθῃς, τότε μάλιστα ἀκούσεταί σου, τότε, ὅταν μηδενὸς δεηθῇς. γʹ. Οὐχ οὕτως οὖν αὐτὸν δυσωποῦμεν δι' ἑτέρων ἀξιοῦντες, ὡς δι' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐρᾷ φιλίας, καὶ πάντα ποιεῖ, ὥστε ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ θαῤῥεῖν· ὅταν ἴδῃ δι' ἑαυτῶν τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, τότε μάλιστα ἐπινεύει. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Χαναναίας ἐποίησε· καὶ Πέτρου μὲν καὶ Ἰακώβου προσιόντων ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἐπένευσεν· ἐπιμενούσης δὲ ταύτης, τὸ αἰτηθὲν ταχέως ἔδωκεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μικρὸν ἔδοξεν ἀναβάλλεσθαι, οὐχ ἵνα ὑπερθῆται τὸ γύναιον, ἀλλ' ἵνα μειζόνως στεφανώσῃ, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῆς οἰκειώσηται τὴν προσεδρίαν, τοῦτο πεποίηκε. Μελετήσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐντυγχάνειν Θεῷ· 55.43 μάθωμεν πῶς δεῖ ταύτην ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐντυχίαν. Οὐκ εἰς μουσεῖον ἀπιέναι δεῖ, οὐδὲ χρήματα ἀναλίσκειν, οὐδὲ παιδαγωγοὺς μισθοῦσθαι, καὶ ῥήτορας, καὶ σοφιστὰς, οὐδὲ χρόνον πολὺν δαπανᾷν, ὥστε μαθεῖν τὴν ῥητορείαν ταύτην· ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ θελῆσαι μόνον, καὶ τὰ τῆς τέχνης ἀπήρτισται. Καὶ οὐχ ὑπὲρ σεαυτοῦ δυνήσῃ μόνον ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ τούτῳ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων πολλῶν. Καὶ τίς ὁ τῆς δικανικῆς ταύτης σκοπός; Ὁ τῆς εὐχῆς τρόπος. Τὸ νηφούσῃ διανοίᾳ, τὸ συντετριμμένῃ ψυχῇ, τὸ μετὰ πηγῶν δακρύων αὐτῷ προσιέναι, τὸ μηδὲν αἰτεῖν βιωτικὸν, τὸ τῶν μελλόντων ἐρᾷν, τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν πνευματικῶν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔντευξιν, τὸ μὴ κατεύχεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν, τὸ μηδενὶ μνησικακεῖν, τὸ πάντα ἐκβάλλειν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ πάθη, τὸ συντρίβοντα τὴν καρδίαν οὕτω προσιέναι, τὸ συνεστάλθαι, τὸ πολλὴν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν μελετᾷν, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν πρὸς εὐφημίαν τρέπειν, τὸ μηδενὶ τῶν πονηρῶν συνίστασθαι πραγμάτων, τὸ μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐχθρὸν, λέγω δὴ τὸν διάβολον. Τὸν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων λέγοντα βασιλεῖ, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐκείνου κοινολογούμενον, καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν νόμοι τιμωροῦσι. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, εἰ βούλει καὶ ὑπὲρ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων λέγειν, τοῦτο δὴ μάλιστα κατόρθωσον, τὸ μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐχθρόν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔσῃ δίκαιος· καὶ δίκαιος ὢν, ἀκουσθήσῃ, τοιαύτην ἔχων συνήγορον. Ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς μοι. Οὐκ εἶπε, Παρήγαγες τὰς θλίψεις, οὐδὲ, Ἀνεῖλες τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, ἀλλ', Ἀφῆκας ἑστάναι, καὶ Ἐπλάτυνάς μοι. Τὸ γὰρ εὐμήχανον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ εὔπορον κἀντεῦθεν μάλιστα δείκνυται, οὐκ ἐν τῷ παρενεγκεῖν τὰς θλίψεις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μενουσῶν αὐτῶν πολλὴν παρέχειν τὴν ῥᾳστώνην. Τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ δείκνυσι τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας φιλοσοφωτέρους ἐργάζεται, ὅταν καὶ εὐρυχωρία ᾖ παραμυθουμένη τὴν θλιβομένην ψυχὴν, καὶ ἡ θλίψις μὴ καταλύηται σφίγγουσα ταύτην ῥᾳθυμοῦσαν, καὶ πάσης ἀπαλλάττουσα ὀλιγωρίας. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, ἐν θλίψει γένοιτ' ἂν πλατυσμός; Ὡς ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τῶν τριῶν παίδων, ὡς ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ τῶν λεόντων. Οὐ γὰρ ἔσβεσε τὴν φλόγα, καὶ τότε ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν εὐρυχωρίᾳ εἶναι· οὐδὲ ἀπέκτεινε τοὺς λέοντας, καὶ τὸ τηνικαῦτα αὐτὸν κατέστησεν ἐν ἀδείᾳ· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖ τῆς καμίνου σφοδρῶς ἀναπτομένης, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῶν θηρίων παραμενόντων, οἱ δίκαιοι πολλῆς ἀπέλαυον τῆς ῥᾳστώνης. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως εὐρυχωρίαν εἰπεῖν· οἷον ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ θλιβομένη τῶν παθῶν ἀπαλλάττηται, καὶ τῶν νοσημάτων τῶν πολλῶν· τότε γὰρ μάλιστα τῆς εὐρυχωρίας ἀπολαύει. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐν εὐημερίᾳ μένοντες ἔρωτας ἔχουσιν ἀτοπωτάτους, θλίβοντας αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ χρημάτων, καὶ σωμάτων, καὶ ἑτέρων τοιούτων ἀτόπων· εἰς θλίψιν δὲ ἐμπεσόντες πάντων ἐλευθεροῦνται ἐκείνων, καὶ γίνονται ἐν εὐρυχωρίᾳ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἐν πυρετοῖς ὄντες, ἕως μὲν ἀπολαύουσι τῶν