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How shall I signify in words the harmonious music of the songs, or the soul-delighting melodies of those who sing and the zealous efforts of those chosen by God? 10.5 And how shall I describe their manifestation? For up to this point in the narrative, I know not how, carried away by the flow of the discourse and having forgotten, as it were, my own lack of skill, I attempted somewhat moderately, and as would no other of the very ignorant and uncultured, to describe the manifestation requested by your virtue; 10.6 But from this point on, and especially because I have mentioned the melodious euphony of the songs, I do not know what to become or where to proceed in my account, and which of those most sweet and well-ordered melodies I should omit, with which men sang psalms and celebrated together with the heavenly powers. 10.7 For if someone should wish to compare that music, the hymns sent up to God as one from every mouth in the public assemblies, to the sound of the celebrating angels, where the dwelling of all who rejoice is, he will not err at all from what is proper. 11.1 For certain very great and most beautiful temples with varied decoration, set forth in the middle of the city like certain common places of propitiation toward the divine, and of these especially the house of the all-creating and divine wisdom of the super-essential Word, and that of the ever-virgin, all-holy Theotokos, and indeed also that of the aforementioned all-glorious and gloriously triumphant martyr Demetrios, where he accomplished his divine contests and received the prize of victory, which, gathering the entire populace within themselves on the periodically returning feast days, awarded unspeakable gladness and spiritual joy to those who gathered. 11.2 For in each of these were appointed orders of priests, through whom the mystical worship is celebrated, and companies of readers, through whom the hymnody of the songs is zealously performed, crying out the verses in response, and arranging the sound with the gestures of their limbs, and forming a certain great and noteworthy dance, charming the sight of the onlookers with the appearance of their glittering vestments, and delighting the hearing with the artful lyre of the psalms. 11.3 For what in comparison to this hymn was the mythical Orpheus or the Homeric muse or the trifles of the Sirens, written down with the falsehood of fictions, for which there is no true word of praise, but false rumors that lead men astray and enslave them to deceit. 11.4 In vain therefore did the Hellenes make a false sound in these things, deprived of the true knowledge of things and armed against themselves with the empty talk of their own superstition. 11.5 But for us, both that which was worshipped was true and that which was hymned itself. 12.1 Then indeed amazement comes over me and shuddering and astonishment, whenever I consider how such and so great a hymn, comparable in its greatness to none of the other sacrifices ever offered, so suddenly fell silent and was counted as nothing and withdrew like a dream. 12.2 Yet I reckon this, that being in sins we declared the divine ordinances, according to the psalmist, and the wickedness of our ways rendered this manifest and venerable thing unapproved, since God judged it unworthy to be hymned and honored by profane and polluted lips. 12.3 For until when do we not set forth the true cause for every danger being brought upon us, so that those who come after may know through our example how one must worship the living and true God and keep themselves above all destruction, so that they may not, by slipping into transgressions similar to our wickedness, draw down the divine wrath upon themselves. 12.4 For we did not have experience of that great threat, which I am astounded even to remember, on account of anything else, but rather through a wicked and evil disposition, 12.5 whether on account of the perverted and different way of life and customs of the people flowing into the city from every nation and place, with different ones contributing some different evil and this to his neighbor

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περὶ τῆς ἁρμονίου μουσικῆς τῶν ᾀσμάτων, ἢ τῶν ᾀδόντων τὰ ψυχοτερπῆ μέλη καὶ τῶν τῷ θεῷ κεκληρωμένων σπουδάσματα πῶς τῷ λόγῳ σημανῶ; 10.5 πῶς δὲ τὴν τούτων διαγράψωμαι δήλωσιν; μέχρι γὰρ τοῦδε τοῦ διηγήματος οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως τῇ ῥύμῃ τοῦ λόγου συναπαχθεὶς καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ὥσπερ ἰδιωτείας ἐπιλαθόμενος ἐπειρώμην μετρίως πως, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἄλλος τῶν λίαν ἀμαθῶν καὶ ἀγροίκων, τῶν παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς αἰτηθέντων τὴν δήλωσιν διαγράφεσθαι· 10.6 τὸ δ' ἀπὸ τούτου, καὶ μάλισθ' ὅτι τῆς εὐρύθμου τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἐμνήσθην ἡδυφωνίας, οὐκ οἶδα τίς γένωμαι ἢ ποῖ τῷ λόγῳ χωρήσω, ποῖον δὲ παραλείπω τῶν ἡδίστων ἐκείνων καὶ εὐτάκτων μελῳδημάτων, οἷς συνέψαλλον καὶ συνεόρταζον ἄνθρωποι ταῖς οὐρανίαις δυνάμεσιν. 10.7 εἰ γάρ τις τὴν μοῦσαν ἐκείνην, τὴν ἐκ παντὸς στόματος ὑφ' ἓν τῷ θεῷ ἀναπεμπομένην τοὺς ὕμνους ἐν ταῖς πανδήμοις συνάξεσι, τῷ ἤχῳ τῶν ἑορταζόντων ἀγγέλων, ἔνθα εὐφραινομένων πάντων ἡ κατοικία, ἐξεικονίσαι θελήσειεν, οὐδὲν τοῦ δέοντος ἁμαρτήσεται. 11.1 Ναοὶ γάρ τινες παμμεγέθεις καὶ περικαλλεῖς τῇ ποικίλῃ διακοσμήσει, διὰ μέσου προβεβλημένοι τῆς πόλεως ὥσπερ τινὰ κοινὰ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἐξιλαστήρια, καὶ τούτων μάλιστα ὁ τῆς παντουργοῦ καὶ θείας τοῦ ὑπερουσίου λόγου σοφίας οἶκος, καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀειπαρθένου πανάγνου καὶ θεομήτορος, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ τοῦ προλεχθέντος πανενδόξου καὶ καλλινίκου μάρτυρος ∆ημητρίου, ἔνθα τοὺς θείους ἄθλους διήνυσε καὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς νίκης ἐδέξατο, οἱ καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα δῆμον ταῖς κατὰ περίοδον ἐπανιούσαις τῶν ἑορτῶν ἡμέραις ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἐκκλησιάζοντες, ἀνεκλάλητον εὐφροσύνην καὶ πνευματικὴν χαρμονὴν τοῖς συνιοῦσιν ἐβράβευον. 11.2 ἐκεκλήρωντο γὰρ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τούτων τάγματα ἱερέων, δι' ὧν ἡ μυστικὴ 11.2 τελεῖται λατρεία, καὶ ἀναγνωστῶν συστήματα, δι' ὧν ἡ τῶν ᾀσμάτων σπουδάζεται ὑμνῳδία, ἀμοιβαδὸν τοὺς στίχους ἀλαλάζοντες, καὶ ταῖς χειρονομίαις τῶν μελῶν τὸν φθόγγον διατιθέντες, καὶ μεγάλην τινὰ καὶ ἀξιοθέατον χορείαν συνιστῶντες, τῷ τε εἴδει τῆς ἀστραπτούσης στολῆς τὰς τῶν ὁρώντων θέλγοντες ὄψεις, καὶ τῇ τεχνωμένῃ τῶν ψαλμῶν λύρᾳ τὴν ἀκοὴν κατατέρποντες. 11.3 τί γὰρ ἦν πρὸς τοῦτον τὸν ὕμνον ὁ μυθικὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἢ ἡ Ὁμηρικὴ μοῦσα ἢ τὰ τῶν Σειρήνων ληρήματα, τῷ ψεύδει τῶν πλασμάτων ἀναγραφόμενα, οἷς λόγος μὲν ἐπαίνων οὐδεὶς ἀληθής, φῆμαι δὲ ψευδεῖς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πλανῶσαι καὶ πρὸς ἀπάτην ἀνδραποδίζουσαι. 11.4 μάτην οὖν ἐν τούτοις ἐψευδοκτύπησαν Ἕλληνες, τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀφῃρημένοι καὶ ταῖς κενολογίαις τῆς αὐτῶν δεισιδαιμονίας καθ' ἑαυτῶν ὁπλισάμενοι. 11.5 ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ τὸ σεβαζόμενον ἦν ἀληθὲς καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ὑμνούμενον. 12.1 Ἔνθα δή μοι καὶ θάμβος ἐπέρχεται καὶ φρίκη καὶ ἔκπληξις, ὅταν κατὰ νοῦν λάβω πῶς ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ τοσοῦτος ὕμνος, ὁ μήπω τινὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφερομένων θυσιῶν τῷ μεγέθει ἐξομοιούμενος, ἀθρόον οὕτως ἐσίγησε καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθη καὶ ὡς ὄναρ ὑπανεχώρησε. 12.2 πλήν γε τοῦτο λογίζομαι, ὅτι ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὄντες τὰ θεῖα κατὰ τὸν ψαλμῳδὸν ἐδιηγούμεθα δικαιώματα, καὶ τὸ μοχθηρὸν ἡμῶν τῶν τρόπων ἀδόκιμον τὸ περιφανὲς τοῦτο καὶ σεβάσμιον ἀπειργάσατο, ἀνάξιον κρίναντος τοῦ θεοῦ βεβήλοις καὶ ἐναγέσι χείλεσιν ὑμνεῖσθαί τε καὶ γεραίρεσθαι. 12.3 μέχρι γὰρ τίνος τὴν ἀληθῆ αἰτίαν τοῦ πάντα κίνδυνον ἐπενεχθῆναι ἡμῖν εἰς μέσον οὐ παριστῶμεν, ἵν' ἔχωσι γνῶναι διὰ τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὑποδείγματος οἱ μετέπειτα ὅπως δεῖ λατρεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὑπεράνω παντὸς ὀλέθρου διατηρεῖν, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς ὁμοίοις ἡμῶν τῆς κακίας ὑπολισθαίνοντες πλημμελήμασι τὴν θείαν ἀγανάκτησιν ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπισπῶνται. 12.4 οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλου τινὸς ἕνεκεν τῆς μεγάλης ἀπειλῆς ἐκείνης, ἧς καὶ μεμνημένος ἐξίσταμαι, διὰ πείρας γεγόναμεν, ἀλλ' ἢ διὰ μοχθηρᾶς καὶ κακῆς προαιρέσεως, 12.5 εἴτε διὰ τὸ παρηλλαγμένον καὶ διάφορον τῆς τε πολιτείας καὶ τῶν ἠθῶν, τῶν συνεισρεόντων τῇ πόλει ἀνθρώπων ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ τόπου ἄλλων ἄλλο τι συνεισφερόντων κακὸν καὶ τούτου τῷ πλησίον