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falling upon the sails of the ship, sends the vessel along swifter than an arrow; so also the prayer of the Church falling upon the tongue of the speaker, sends the word along more forcefully than the west wind. Therefore we also strip for the contest each day with confidence. For if in the contests outside, someone having only ten or twenty supporters in so great a crowd goes down to the contest with eagerness; how much more will we do this with confidence, where our whole theater is composed not of ten, nor only twenty, but of brothers and fathers. And yet in the contests outside, the contestant would gain nothing great from the spectator, except for him to shout, and to admire what has happened, and, while sitting up above, to contend with those who argue against him; but to go down into the stadium, and to offer a hand, and to trip the foot of the opponent, or to display anything else of this sort, is not lawful for them. For those who arranged those contests from the beginning, having fixed sharp stakes, and having thrown ropes around, thus restrain the madness of the spectators. And what wonder is it, if it is not lawful for a spectator to go down, when they even make the trainer sit outside by the dust, and command him to bring the assistance from his instruction to the contestants from afar, but do not permit him to come near? But not so here; but it is possible for both teacher and spectator to come down to us, and to stand near in disposition, and through prayers to build up our strength. Come then, like those very athletes, let us take hold of the wrestling holds. For when they, having grabbed each other around the middle, are hurled by the force of their holds toward the crowd standing around them on the outside because of the narrowness of the space, having broken their holds, they return again to the place of the contest; then having returned, they do not grapple again standing upright, but having put themselves in that same posture of holds in which they were when they were separated. Since, therefore, the narrowness of space has forced us to break off the discourse, come, returning to the place of the contest, let us unravel the topic from what was read to us today. And God said, it says, Let us make man in our image and likeness. This first is worthy of inquiry, why on earth, when the heaven was being made, nowhere is "Let us make" said, but, "Let heaven be," "Let light be," and so for each part of creation; but here "Let us make" is added alone, a counsel and consideration and communication to some other of equal honor? Who then can he be, who is about to be created, that he enjoys so much honor? It is man, the great and wonderful living being, and more honorable to God than all creation, for whom heaven and earth and sea and the whole remaining body of creation exist; man, for whose salvation God had such a love, as not even to spare the Only-begotten for his sake; for He did not cease doing and contriving all things, until having brought him up He seat 54.588 ed him at His right hand. And Paul cries out, saying: He raised us up together and seated us together at His right hand in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For this reason there is counsel and consideration and communication, not because God needs counsel; may it not be; but by the form of the words He shows the honor for the one who was made. And how, he says, if he is more honorable than all the world, is he brought forth after the world? For this very reason, because he is more honorable than the world. For just as when a king is about to advance into some city, generals and prefects and bodyguards and all the servants go ahead, so that having prepared the palace, and having made ready all the other service, they may receive the king with much honor; so indeed here also, as though a king were about to be brought in, the sun went ahead, the heaven ran before, the light entered first, all things were made and prepared, and then man is brought in afterward with much honor. Let us make man in our image.

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τῆς νηὸς ἐμπεσὼν τὰ ἱστία, βέλους ὀξύτερον παραπέμπει τὸ σκάφος· οὕτω καὶ Ἐκκλησίας εὐχὴ εἰς τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος ἐμπεσοῦσα γλῶτταν, ζεφύρου σφοδρότερον παραπέμπει τὸν λόγον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν θαῤῥοῦντες ἀποδυόμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων δέκα τις μόνον, ἢ εἴκοσι ἔχων ἐραστὰς ἐν δήμῳ τοσούτῳ, μετὰ προθυμίας εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα κάτεισι· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς, ὅπου οὐ δέκα, οὐδὲ εἴκοσι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἅπαν ἡμῖν τὸ θέατρον ἐξ ἀδελφῶν καὶ πατέρων σύγκειται, θαῤῥοῦντες τοῦτο ποιήσομεν. Καίτοι γε ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων οὐδὲν ἂν μέγα καρπώσαιτο ὁ ἀγωνιστὴς παρὰ τοῦ θεατοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅσον βοῆσαι ἐκεῖνον, καὶ θαυμάσαι τὰ γεγενημένα, καὶ φιλονεικῆσαι τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσιν ἄνω καθήμενον· καταβῆναι δὲ εἰς τὸ στάδιον, καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι, καὶ ἑλκύσαι πόδα τοῦ ἀνταγωνιζομένου, ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ἐπιδείξασθαι, τούτοις οὐ θέμις. Οἱ γὰρ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐκείνους ἐξ ἀρχῆς διαταξάμενοι, σκόλοπας πήξαντες ὀξεῖς, καὶ σχοινία κύκλῳ περιβαλόντες, οὕτω τῶν θεατῶν τὴν μανίαν εἴργουσι. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ θεατῇ καταβῆναι οὐ θέμις, ὅπουγε καὶ τὸν παιδοτρίβην ἔξω παρὰ τὴν κόνιν καθίσαντες, πόῤῥωθεν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας συμμαχίαν εἰσάγειν τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις κελεύουσι, πλησίον δὲ οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἐλθεῖν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐνταῦθα οὕτως· ἀλλὰ καὶ διδασκάλῳ καὶ θεατῇ καταβῆναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔνι, καὶ ἐγγὺς στῆναι τῇ διαθέσει, καὶ διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν ἡμῖν συγκροτῆσαι τὴν δύναμιν. ∆εῦρο γοῦν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς ἀθλητὰς τῶν παλαισμάτων ἁψώμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπειδὰν ἐκεῖνοι μέσους ἑαυτοὺς κατασχόντες, ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τῶν ἁμμάτων πρὸς τὸν ἔξωθεν αὐτοὺς περιεστῶτα ἐξακοντισθῶσιν ὄχλον διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου στενοχωρίαν, λύσαντες τὰ ἅμματα, πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀγωνίας πάλιν ἐπανέρχονται τόπον· εἶτα ἐπανελθόντες οὐκ ὀρθοὶ συμπλέκονται πάλιν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τῶν δεσμῶν ἑαυτοὺς καταστήσαντες, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὄντες διελύθησαν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἡ τόπου στενοχωρία καταλῦσαι τὸν λόγον ἠνάγκασε, φέρε πρὸς τὸν τόπον τῆς ἀγωνίας ἐπανελθόντες, τὰ ἅμματα λύσωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν τήμερον ἀναγνωσθέντων ἡμῖν. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν. Ἓν πρῶτον τοῦτο ἄξιον ζητῆσαι, τί δήποτε, ὅτε μὲν ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐγίνετο, οὐδαμοῦ τὸ, Ποιήσωμεν, εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ, Γενηθήτω οὐρανὸς, Γενηθήτω φῶς, καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τῆς κτίσεως μέρος οὕτως· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ, Ποιήσωμεν, πρόσκειται μόνον, βουλὴ καὶ σκέψις καὶ πρὸς ἕτερόν τινα ὁμότιμον ἀνακοίνωσις; Τίς ποτε ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ δημιουργεῖσθαι μέλλων, ὅτι τοσαύτης ἀπολαύει τιμῆς; Ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, τὸ μέγα ζῶον καὶ θαυμαστὸν, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης τῷ Θεῷ τιμιώτερον, δι' ὃν οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ θάλαττα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἅπαν τῆς κτίσεως σῶμα· ἄνθρωπος, οὗ τῆς σωτηρίας οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἠράσθη, ὡς μηδὲ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς φείσασθαι δι' αὐτόν· οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστη πάντα ποιῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος, ἕως αὐτὸν ἀναγαγὼν ἐκάθ 54.588 ισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ βοᾷ Παῦλος λέγων· Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἡμᾶς ἐν δεξιᾷ ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο βουλὴ καὶ σκέψις καὶ ἀνακοίνωσις, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς βουλῆς δεῖται· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ τῷ σχήματι τῶν ῥημάτων τὴν εἰς τὸν γενόμενον ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυται τιμήν. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, εἰ τοῦ κόσμου τιμιώτερός ἐστι παντὸς, ὕστερον τοῦ κόσμου παράγεται; ∆ι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ κόσμου τιμιώτερός ἐστιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ βασιλέως εἰς τινα πόλιν ἐλαύνειν μέλλοντος, στρατηγοὶ καὶ ὕπαρχοι καὶ δορυφόροι καὶ πάντες οἱ δοῦλοι προφθάνουσιν, ἵνα τὰ βασίλεια παρασκευάσαντες, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἄλλην εὐτρεπίσαντες θεραπείαν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς τιμῆς ὑποδέξωνται τὸν βασιλέα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, καθάπερ βασιλέως εἰσάγεσθαι μέλλοντος, προέφθασεν ὁ ἥλιος, προέδραμεν ὁ οὐρανὸς, προεισῆλθε τὸ φῶς, ἅπαντα γέγονε καὶ εὐτρεπίσθη, καὶ τότε ὁ ἄνθρωπος μετὰ πολλῆς ὕστερον εἰσάγεται τῆς τιμῆς. Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα.