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he places, but his prayer; above, righteousness, here, saying the prayer: Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. Thus also Cornelius was heard, since he had this as an advocate. Your prayers, and your alms, he says, have gone up before God. Rightly; for it is works that are heard, and right actions; not simply prayers, but prayers that are made according to the law of God. And what are these? Those that ask for these things, which it is fitting for God to give, those that do not call upon him for things contrary to his laws. And who is so bold, he says, as to deem God worthy to do things contrary to his laws? The one who calls upon him against his enemies; for this is against the law laid down by him. For he himself says, Forgive your debtors. But you call upon him who commands you to forgive, against your enemies? And what could be worse than this folly? The posture and mind and spirit of a suppliant the one praying must have; what other mask then do you put on yourself, that of accusation? For how will you be able to receive forgiveness for your own sins, when you deem God worthy to be an avenger for the things done amiss by others? Let prayer therefore be gentle, calm, having a graceful and tender face. For such is the prayer with meekness, and not made against enemies; whereas the opposite one resembles some drunken and delirious woman, some swinish and savage one. Therefore heaven is also inaccessible to it. But the one with meekness is not such; but it has something clear-toned, and pleasing, and worthy of royal ears, sweet and all-harmonious and melodious. Wherefore indeed it is not cast out of the theatre, but departs crowned; for it has a golden lyre, a golden robe. Therefore it also delights the judge, both by its form, and by its look, and by its voice. For these reasons no one drives it away from the heavenly arches. For it rouses all that theatre to gladness. This prayer is worthy of the heavens; this is the tongue of angels, when it utters nothing bitter, but everything pleasing; when on behalf of those who do wrong and who insult, it approaches making its supplication, then the angels also stand by listening with great silence, and after it ceases, they do not cease applauding, praising, admiring it. Let us too offer such a prayer, and we will surely be heard. And when we approach God, let us not think it is such a theatre, but one gathered from the entire inhabited world, or rather, gathered also from the heavenly hosts above, and that in the midst the King 55.46 is seated, wishing to hearken to our prayer. And let us make the matter a display. Let no cithara-player, nor lyre-singer be so full of contest-anxiety, when about to enter the stage, and fearing lest he strike some discordant note, as we are when about to enter into the theatre of the angels. And let the tongue be our plectrum, uttering nothing unpleasant, but what is melodious and all-harmonious with the appropriate thought; and approaching God, and exhorting and entreating, let us strike the string on behalf of our enemies; for thus we will be heard also on behalf of ourselves. 5. This voice shames demons, this gives us confidence; this shames the devil and makes him retreat. For a demon does not so shudder at a man who casts him out and drives him from another man, as at a man who masters his anger, and overcomes his wrath; since this too is a harsh demon, and one ought to call these men wretched more than those possessed by demons. For to be possessed by a demon does not cast one into Gehenna; but to be angry and to bear a grudge, casts one out of the very kingdom of heaven. If we so order our prayer, we too will be able to say to God with confidence, Hear my prayer. So that you will not only benefit yourself, and

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τίθησιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ· ἄνω τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἐνταῦθα τὴν προσευχὴν λέγων· Οἰκτείρησόν με, καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κορνήλιος ἠκούσθη, ἐπειδὴ ταύτην εἶχε συνήγορον. Αἱ προσευχαί σου, καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου, φησὶν, ἀνέβησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰκότως· τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἐστὶ τὰ ἀκουόμενα, καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα· οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ αἱ εὐχαὶ, ἀλλ' αἱ κατὰ νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ γινόμεναι εὐχαί. Καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν αὗται; Αἱ ταῦτα αἰτοῦσαι, ἃ τῷ Θεῷ πρέπει διδόναι, αἱ μὴ τἀναντία τοῖς αὐτοῦ νόμοις αὐτὸν παρακαλοῦσαι. Καὶ τίς οὕτω τολμηρὸς, φησὶν, ὡς τὸν Θεὸν ἀξιοῦν τἀναντία τοῖς αὐτοῦ νόμοις ποιεῖν; Ὁ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτὸν παρακαλῶν· τοῦτο γὰρ παρὰ τὸν νόμον τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κείμενον. Αὐτὸς γάρ φησιν, Ἄφετε τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ὑμῶν. Σὺ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν κελεύοντά σοι συγχωρῆσαι κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καλεῖς; Καὶ τί γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς ἀνοίας ταύτης χεῖρον; Ἱκέτου σχῆμα καὶ γνώμην καὶ φρόνημα τὸν εὐχόμενον ἔχειν δεῖ· τί τοίνυν ἕτερον προσωπεῖον σεαυτῷ περιτίθης, τὸ τῆς κατηγορίας; Πῶς γὰρ δυνήσῃ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων λαβεῖν συγγνώμην, ὅταν τῶν τοῖς ἑτέροις πεπλημμελημένων τιμωρὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἀξιοῖς εἶναι; Ἔστω τοίνυν ἡ εὐχὴ ἥμερος, γαληνὴ, χαρίεν ἔχουσα πρόσωπον, καὶ ἁπαλόν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ μετὰ πραότητος, καὶ μὴ κατ' ἐχθρῶν γινομένη· ὡς ἥ γε ἐναντία μεθυούσῃ τινὶ καὶ παραπαιούσῃ ἔοικε γυναικὶ, συώδει τινὶ καὶ ἀγρίᾳ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἄβατος αὐτῇ ὁ οὐρανός. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ μετὰ πραότητος τοιαύτη· ἀλλ' ἔχει τι λιγυρὸν, καὶ προσηνὲς, καὶ βασιλικῶν ἄξιον ἀκοῶν, ἡδὺ καὶ παναρμόνιον καὶ ἐμμελές. ∆ιὸ δὴ οὐκ ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ θεάτρου, ἀλλ' ἐστεφανωμένη ἄπεισι· καὶ γὰρ χρυσῆν ἔχει κιθάραν, χρυσῆν τὴν στολήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τέρπει τὸν δικαστὴν, καὶ τῷ σχήματι, καὶ τῷ βλέμματι, καὶ τῇ φωνῇ. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα οὐδεὶς αὐτὴν ἀπελαύνει τῶν οὐρανίων ἁψίδων. Ἅπαν γὰρ ἐκεῖνο τὸ θέατρον ἀνίστησι τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ. Αὕτη τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀξία ἡ εὐχή· αὕτη τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ γλῶττα, ὅταν μηδὲν πικρὸν, πᾶν δὲ προσηνὲς φθέγγηται· ὅταν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικούντων καὶ ἐπηρεαζόντων προσέρχηται τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ποιουμένη, τότε καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι παρεστήκασι μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκούοντες τῆς σιγῆς, καὶ μετὰ τὸ παύσασθαι, κροτοῦντες αὐτὴν, ἐπαινοῦντες, θαυμάζοντες οὐ διαλιμπάνουσι. Τοιαύτην καὶ ἡμεῖς προσαγάγωμεν εὐχὴν, καὶ πάντως ἀκουσθησόμεθα. Καὶ ὅταν προσίωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, μὴ νομίσωμεν εἶναι θέατρον τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω δήμων τῶν οὐρανίων συνειλεγμένον, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τὸν Βασιλέα 55.46 καθῆσθαι, βουλόμενον ἡμῶν ἐπακοῦσαι τῆς εὐχῆς. Καὶ ἐπίδειξιν τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιήσωμεν. Μηδεὶς ἔστω κιθαριστὴς, μηδὲ λυρῳδὸς οὕτως ἐναγώνιος, μέλλων ἐν σκηναῖς εἰσιέναι, καὶ δεδοικὼς μή τι ἀπηχὲς ἀνακρούσηται, ὡς ἡμεῖς μέλλοντες εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων θέατρον. Πλῆκτρον δὲ ἡμῖν ἔστω ἡ γλῶττα, μηδὲν ἀηδὲς φθεγγομένη, ἀλλ' ἐμμελὲς καὶ παναρμόνιον μετὰ διανοίας τῆς προσηκούσης· καὶ προσιόντες τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ παρακαλοῦντες καὶ δεόμενοι, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀνακρουώμεθα τὴν νευράν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἀκουσθησόμεθα. εʹ. Αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ καταισχύνει δαίμονας, αὕτη παῤῥησίαν ἡμῖν δίδωσιν· αὕτη καταισχύνει τὸν διάβολον καὶ ἀναχωρεῖν ποιεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἄνθρωπον φρίττει ὁ δαίμων τὸν ἐκβάλλοντα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐλαύνοντα ἐξ ἑτέρου ἀνθρώπου, ὡς ἄνθρωπον ὀργῆς κρατοῦντα, καὶ θυμοῦ περιγενόμενον· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο δαίμων ἐστὶ χαλεπὸς, καὶ τούτους μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς δαιμονῶντας ταλανίζειν χρή. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ δαιμονᾷν εἰς γέενναν οὐκ ἐμβάλλει· τὸ δὲ ὀργίζεσθαι καὶ μνησικακεῖν, αὐτῆς ἐκβάλλει τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἂν οὕτω ῥυθμίσωμεν τὴν εὐχὴν, δυνησόμεθα μετὰ παῤῥησίας λέγειν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ Θεῷ, Εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου. Ὥστε οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ὠφελήσεις μόνον, καὶ