fo[r] the equipping of the saints.” These things for a more simple interpretation. But if it is necessary to ascend also to a more mystical sense, I say that there were some 12.74 shepherd angels entrusted with, so to speak, human beings; and while each of these was keeping watch in the fields over his own flock and was laboring and all were in need of help, so that the nations under them might be well-ordered, the angel came at the birth of Jesus, saying: “Fear not; for I bring you good tidings of joy.” For truly a great joy has come to those who order the affairs of men, because Christ Jesus has visited. 12.75 [For just as] two angels are present with each person, the one of righteousness, the other of wickedness, and if good things rise up in our heart, clearly the angel of God is speaking to us; but when base things come up in our heart, the angel of the devil is speaking to us. As, therefore, there are two angels for each individual, so I think that there are also angels over the nations, some better, some opposed. For example, in Ephesus it is likely that on account of the sinners some angel was put in charge of the sinners, but on account of the believers, that there was some angel of the Ephesian church, and so indeed everywhere, even before the coming of Christ. 12.76 Thus, the angels are empowered to establish churches everywhere from the nations from the good tidings of the angel concerning Christ. 13.77 And the angelic host adds to the hymn, to the “Glory to God in the highest,” the “and on earth peace among men of good will,” since it had grown weary helping men and saw that it could not complete the work with which it had been entrusted, without the Savior. 13.78 and through the “on earth peace,” that peace was made through his coming, “whether things on earth, or things in heaven,” is pres<ented>. For since the angels of God, seeing men as enemies because of their sins, sought to make them friends and have done what was in their power to heal them, but they were not healed nonetheless, seeing the one who would heal them they give glory and say “on earth peace.” 13.79 But one might ask in <this> place: if the Savior says, “I came not to bring peace on earth, but a sword,” how <do the> angels at his birth say, “on earth peace”? And he himself says elsewhere, “Peace I leave with you.” But <if> only “on earth peace” <were> written and the scripture had stopped there, the question would have some substance. But now the addition resolves the question, which is after “on earth peace”: “among men of good will.” But if the Savior says he does not give “peace on earth,” it is not the “peace of good will.” For he does not deny giving peace, but simply says, “I came not to bring peace on earth.” But he did not say “the peace of good will”; 13.80 but at any rate, the angels said these things to the shepherds. And if holy shepherds do not also have angels shepherding with them, it will be said: “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” And it is possible to say from scripture that there are two bishops of each church, one perceptible and seen, the <other> intelligible; and just as <the man> is praised for administering well, so also the <angel. For it is writt>en in <the Revelation> of John: “<but> you have a few names that have <not> been defiled.” <and again:> “you have there those committing these sins,” and he finds fault with the angels. 13.81 But if he finds fault with the angels who have been entrusted with the churches and care for those of whom they are the entrusted angels, what must be said about men, how much fear they must have, so that, sailing along with the angels, they might be saved together with the angels? For both bishops are partners in the work, the intelligible, I mean the angel entrusted with the church, and the perceptible. 13.82 And they came in haste and not at a walking pace nor sluggishly; for this reason they found him “in a manger.” And this was that of which the prophet spoke: “An ox and a donkey recognized the manger of its lord,” which is a mystery being revealed: an ox a clean animal, a donkey an unclean. The people did not know the manger

τα[ς] εἰς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων». Ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ εὐχερέστερον. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ ἀναβῆναι καὶ ἐπὶ λόγον μυστικώτερον, λέγω, ὅτι ἦσάν τινες 12.74 ποιμένες ἄγγελοι πεπιστευμένοι, εἰ δεῖ εἰπεῖν, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ τούτων ἑκάστου ἀγραυλοῦντος ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κάμ νοντος καὶ δεομένων πάντων βοη θείας, ἵνα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς οἰκονομηθῇ καλῶς, ἦλθεν ὁ ἄγγελος ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λέγων· «Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· εὐαγγελί ζομαι γὰρ ὑμῖν χαράν». Ἀληθῶς γὰρ χαρὰ μεγάλη τοῖς οἰκονομοῦσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους γέγονεν, ὅτι Χρι στὸς Ἰησοῦς ἐπιδεδήμηκεν. 12.75 [Ὡς γὰρ] ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πάρεισι δύο ἄγγελοι, ὁ μὲν τῆς δι καιοσύνης, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ἀνατείλῃ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν τὰ ἀγαθά, δηλονότι ὁμιλεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅταν δὲ ἀναβῇ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν τὰ φαῦλα, ὁμιλεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ διαβόλου. Ὡς οὖν καθ' ἕκαστον δύο ἄγγελοί εἰσιν, οὕτως οἶμαι, ὅτι καὶ κατὰ ἔθνη ἄγγελοί εἰσιν, οἱ μὲν κρείττονες, οἱ δὲ ἐναντίοι. Οἷον ἐν Ἐφέσῳ εἰκός, ὅτι διὰ μὲν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἄγγελός τις ἦν ἐγκεχειρισμένος τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, διὰ δὲ τοὺς πιστεύοντας, ὅτι ἄγγε λός τις ἦν τῆς Ἐφεσίων ἐκκλησίας, οὕτω δὴ καὶ πανταχοῦ καὶ πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας. 12.76 Οἷον οὖν ἐνδυναμοῦνται οἱ ἄγ γελοι συνιστᾶν πανταχοῦ ἐκκλησίας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελισ μοῦ τοῦ ἀγγέλου περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 13.77 Ἐπισυνάπτει δὲ τῷ ὕμνῳ ἡ ἀγ γελικὴ στρατιὰ τῷ· «∆όξα ἐν ὑψί στοις θεῷ» τό· «καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας», ἐπειδήπερ κε κμήκει βοηθοῦσα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἑώρα, ὅτι οὐκ ἠδύνατο τελειῶσαι τὸ ἔργον, ὃ ἦν ἐγκεχειρισμένη, χω ρὶς τοῦ σωτῆρος. 13.78 διὰ δὲ τοῦ· «ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη» τὸ εἰ ρηνοποιηθῆναι διὰ τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ, «εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴτε τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ», παρίσ<ταται>. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐζήτουν οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄγ γελοι, ἐχθροὺς βλέποντες τοὺς ἀν θρώπους διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, φίλους αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι καὶ πεποιήκασι τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἵνα αὐτοὺς θεραπεύσω σιν, οἱ δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον οὐκ ἰάθησαν, ἰδόντες τὸν ἰασόμενον δοξάζουσι καὶ «ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη» λέγουσιν. 13.79 Ἀλλὰ ζητήσαι τις ἂν ἐν <τῷ τό> πῳ· εἰ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· «Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ μά χαιραν», πῶς <οἱ> ἄγγελοι ἐπὶ τῇ γε νέσει αὐτοῦ λέγουσιν· «ἐπὶ γῆς εἰ ρήνη»; Αὐτὸς δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· «εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν». Ἀλλ' <εἰ ἐγ>έγραπτο μόνον τό· «ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη» καὶ μέχρι τούτου στᾶσα ἦν ἡ γραφή, εἶχεν ἄν τινα λόγον τὸ ἀπορούμενον. Νῦν δὲ ἡ προσ θήκη λύει τὸ ζητούμενον, ἥτις καὶ μετὰ τό· «ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη» ἔστιν· «ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας». Εἰ δὲ «εἰρή νην» λέγει ὁ σωτὴρ μὴ διδόναι «ἐπὶ γῆς», οὐκ ἔστιν «εὐδοκίας εἰρηνή». Οὐ γὰρ ἀρνεῖται διδόναι τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς λέγει· «οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν». οὐκ εἶπε δὲ «εὐδοκίας εἰρήνην»· 13.80 ἀλλὰ ταῦτά γε εἶπον παρὰ τοῖς ποι μέσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι. Καὶ ἅγιοι ποιμένες ἐὰν μὴ ἔχωσι καὶ ἀγγέλους συμποιμαίνοντας, λεχ θήσεται τό· «ἐὰν μὴ κύριος φυλάξῃ πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύπνησεν ὁ φυ λάσσων». Ἔστι δὲ εἰπεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς, ὅτι δύο εἰσὶν ἑκάστης ἐκκλησίας ἐπίσκοποι, ὁ μέν τις αἰσθητὸς καὶ βλεπόμενος, ὁ <δέ> τις νοητός· καὶ ὥσπερ <ὁ ἄνθρωπος> ἐπαινεῖται κα λῶς οἰκονομήσας, οὕτω καὶ ὁ <ἄγ γελος. Γέγρ>απται γοῦν ἐν <τῇ Ἀπο καλύψει> Ἰωάννου· «<ἀλλ>ὰ ἔχετε ὀνόματα ὀλίγα, ἅτινα <οὐκ> ἐμό λυναν». <καὶ πάλιν·> «ἔχεις ἐκεῖ τάδε ἁμαρτήματα ποιοῦντας», καὶ μέμ φεται τοῖς ἀγγέλοις. 13.81 Εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις μέμφεται τοῖς πεπιστευμένοις τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ φροντίζουσιν, ὧν πεπιστευμένοι εἰσὶν ἄγγελοι, τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὅσον δεῖ φόβον ἔχειν, ἵνα δυνηθῶσι συμπλέοντες τοῖς ἀγ γέλοις συνσωθῆναι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις; Οἷον γὰρ κοινωνοί εἰσι τοῦ ἔργου ἀμφότεροι ἐπίσκοποι, ὁ νοητὸς λέ γω δὴ ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ πεπιστευμένος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ὁ αἰσθητός. 13.82 Σπεύσαντες δὲ ἦλθον καὶ οὐ βάδην οὐδὲ ἐκλελυμένως· διὰ τοῦτο εὗρον αὐτὸν «ἐν φάτνῃ.» Αὕτη δὲ ἦν, περὶ ἧς ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· «Ἔγνω βοῦς καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ», ὃ μυ στήριόν ἐστι δηλούμενον· βοῦς κα θαρὸν ζῷον, ὄνος ἀκάθαρτον. Οὐχ ὁ λαὸς ἔγνω τὴν φάτνην