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hastening the blow, and immediately a voice of mercy is brought from heaven, like a hand restraining a hand, and with a most swift command holding back the eagerness of the priest. For, it says, Do not lay your hand upon the child. I am satisfied with the eagerness, even if the deed is absent. I did not wish your son to be slain, but I wished your faith to be made manifest in the whole world. For since you did not spare your beloved son for my sake, but, for your part, Isaac was lost, as far as it depended on you, Sarah was made childless, and you are not called a father, from now on, because of your love for me, receive your son back safe, long-lived and of many years. For the deed has been done for me, who sees the dispositions of the thoughts. And I will reward you for these things, servant, with a completely fitting gift, and I will honor you with a suitable title, every holy person will call you father. This deed will beget for you many righteous children, you will be called the father of all who believe in me; I will raise up children for you from stones in a special way. You disregarded one son, from now on you will have countless ones; for I have made you a father of many nations. And such were the things from God; but let all of us, beloved, using the forefather Abraham as an example of love for God, consider none of the temporary goods more precious than faith in God, not homeland, not family, not wealth, not glory, not a beloved child, even if he happens to be the only one; so that by similarity of faith becoming children of the forefather Abraham, we may rest in his luminous bosom with Isaac 56.553, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the 56.554 Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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τὴν πληγὴν ἐπισπεύδουσα, καὶ παραχρῆμα φέρεται οὐρανόθεν ἐλέου φωνὴ, καθάπερ χεὶρ τὴν χεῖρα κωλύουσα, καὶ ταχυτάτῳ προστάγματι τὴν προθυμίαν τοῦ ἱερέως ἐπέχουσα. Μὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ παιδάριον. Ἀρκοῦμαι τῇ προθυμίᾳ, κἂν ἡ πρᾶξις ἀπείη. Οὐκ ἤθελον σφαγῆναι τὸν παῖδα σου, ἀλλ' ἤθελον φανῆναι τὴν πίστιν σου ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐφείσω τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ δι' ἐμὲ, ἀλλὰ, τὸ σὸν μέρος, ἀπόλωλεν Ἰσαὰκ, ὅσον ἐπὶ σοὶ, ἠτέκνωται Σάῤῥα, καὶ οὔτε σὺ ὀνομάζῃ πατὴρ, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ σῶον ἀπολάμβανέ σου τὸν υἱὸν, μακρόβιόν τε καὶ πολυχρόνιον. Τὸ γὰρ ἔργον ἐμοὶ πέπρακται τῷ τὰς διαθέσεις τῶν ἐννοιῶν βλέποντι. Ἀμείψομαι δέ σε πρὸς τούτοις, θέραπον, πάντη καταλλήλῳ δωρεᾷ, καὶ προσφόρῳ προσηγορίᾳ τιμήσω σε, πᾶς ὅσιός σε καλέσει πατέρα. Ἡ πρᾶξις αὕτη πολλούς σοι δικαίους ἀπογεννήσει παῖδας, σὺ πάντων τῶν εἰς ἐμὲ πιστευόντων κληθήσῃ πατήρ· ἐγώ σοι κατ' ἐξαίρετον ἐκ λίθων ἐγερῶ τέκνα. Ἑνὸς υἱοῦ κατεφρόνησας, ἕξεις ἀπείρους ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν· πατέρα γὰρ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε. Καὶ τὰ μὲν παρὰ Θεοῦ τοιαῦτα· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἅπαντες, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὑπογραμμῷ φιλοθεΐας τῷ προπάτορι Ἀβραὰμ χρώμενοι, μηδέν τι τῶν προσκαίρων ἀγαθῶν τῆς εἰς Θεὸν πίστεως ἡγώμεθα τιμιώτερον, μὴ πατρίδα, μὴ γένος, μὴ πλοῦτον, μὴ δόξαν, μὴ τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν, κἂν μόνον τυγχάνῃ γενόμενον· ὅπως ὁμοιότητι πίστεως τέκνα γενόμενοι τοῦ προπάτορος Ἀβραὰμ, εἰς τοὺς φωτεινοὺς αὐτοῦ κόλπους μετὰ Ἰσαὰκ 56.553 ἀναπαυσώμεθα, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ 56.554 ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ δεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.