De oratione

 Therefore, the one of these, I mean the 'what we should pray for,' is the words of the prayer, but the 'as we ought' is the state of the one praying

 we are more than conquerors.” It is likely that “intercedes” only concerns those who are not so great as to be more than conquerors, nor again such as

 God be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and give me bread to eat and a garment to put on, and bring me back with safety to my father's hous

 of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying: This is the word, which the Lord commanded: A man, who shall vow a vow to the Lord or swear an oath with

 of those who say there is providence for it is not our present purpose to examine the sayings of those who entirely deny God or providence) God kn

 since God exists and has comprehended the whole universe and abides in His pre-arranged decrees, to pray, supposing that by his prayer he will alter G

 and from what is in our power, which will be enacted according to our impulse. For even if, hypothetically, God did not know the future, we would not

 “let him not boast” “before” me but let him say: “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God,” and perceiving my

 of prayer benefits those who have persuaded themselves that they have stood before and are speaking to a present and hearing God? 9.1 What has been sa

 to God, who ordains what he wills for our training, but not even murmuring in the secret of our thoughts without a voice audible to men which murmuri

 his preeminence, and stretching forth the right hand and giving to Judas a golden sword, to whom another saint who had fallen asleep testified, sa

 an angel, «of the» in the church «little ones,» «always» seeing «the face of the Father» «who is in heaven» and beholding the divinity of the one who

 the prayer of Holofernes with God prevails and one woman of the Hebrews brought shame to the house of Nebuchadnezzar But 'Ananias' 'and Azarias and M

 suffering from a basilisk, because through Christ he has stepped upon them and has trampled “lion and dragon,” having used the good authority given by

 doxology for greater things, offered up more magnificently by someone, and intercession, a request to God concerning certain things by one having a ce

 And an example of thanksgiving is the voice of our Lord, saying: “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these thing

 kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their princesses your nurses they shall bow down to <you> with their face to the ground, and shall lick the

 with him the intelligible blessing reaching all the saints, spoken by Isaac to Jacob, namely: «May God give you of the dew of heaven,» to have come to

 of things truly and genuinely great and heavenly, and matters concerning the shadows that follow the preceding things must be entrusted to God, who kn

 For it is the work of hypocrites to want to put on airs before men for the sake of piety or for social reasons. But it is necessary, remembering the s

 20.2 And we must listen carefully to that they may be seen, since nothing that is merely apparent is good, as if existing in appearance and not in t

 It is not that God has not been called 20father20, or that those who are considered to have believed in God have not been named sons of God but rathe

 he has imitated the image «of the invisible God» and has become «according to the image of the one who created him,» who makes «his sun» rise «on the

 20Father20» let him go. And let us seek to understand more mystically the saying at the end of the Gospel according to John: «Do not touch me, for I h

 in order to persuade the reader from every side, according to the power given to us, to hear the divine scripture in a higher and more spiritual way,

 to exalt «0the name20» of God «at the same time,» is <when> someone, having partaken of an emanation of divinity by being taken up by God and having p

 We are commanded by Paul no longer to be subject to sin which wants to rule over us, and indeed we are ordered through these words: Let not sin there

 for us «0on earth20» likewise to them in all things “the 20will20” of God should be done which will happen, when we do nothing contrary to His «0will

 to divinity and being united with it. 26.5 But since the second point does not yet solve the difficulties about how «0the will20» of God is «0in heave

 we will set these things forth from more numerous sources. He says in the Gospel according to John to those who had come to Capernaum to seek him: “Tr

 nor are you able even now for you are still of the flesh” and in the one to the Hebrews: “and you have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyon

 being set apart, but is subject to every quality just like a prepared place. And by qualities they mean dispositively the activities and productions i

 by a demonstration of the angels and their becoming more ready to cooperate in every way and henceforth to concur in the apprehension of more and grea

 in the psalms thus: a thousand years in your eyes are as yesterday, which has passed (which is the famous millennium, which is likened to the yeste

 «0today20» but also in a way of the «0daily20» he who prays for «0today20», from the one who is able to grant «exceedingly abundantly above all that w

 and we are in a theater of the world and of angels and of men, it must be known that, just as the one in the theater is a 20debtor20 to say or do cert

 heavenly Father will do, unless you 20forgive20 each his brother from your hearts.” They say, however, that we 20must forgive20 those who have sinned

 they conceived a thought against God” for he offers the sacrifice concerning things of which it is doubted whether a sin has been committed, and this

 which our Lord taught concerning prayer. But when has anyone considered men to be outside of 20temptations20, whose word he knew he had fulfilled? And

 every time is one of 20temptation20 for men, even these things not even he who meditates on the law of God «day and night» and practices to fulfill w

 Finding such things in the law and the prophets, they stumbled as at one who was not good, who uttered such words but for us, on account of the diffi

 having desired generation, pray again to obtain twice what you desire, having come to hate the thing desired, and then thus to return to the good thin

 of our own evils and let us give thanks for the good things revealed to us through 20temptations20. But that the 20temptations20 which happen are for

 to put on (for he has received), but by in all that befell him not to have sinned at all before the Lord but to be shown to be righteous of the o

 to pray, stretching out the soul, as it were, before the hands, and stretching the mind toward God before the eyes, and before standing, arousing the

 which is possible, unless one gives himself to this by agreement for a time, that perhaps also concerning the place, if it is permissible, it must b

 It seems to me that these things have necessarily been said, while examining the place of prayer and representing what is exceptional as in a place at

 for the sake of magnifying you, my Lord, Lord.” 33.4 An example of confessions: “Deliver me from all my iniquities,” and in other places: “My wounds h

an angel, «of the» in the church «little ones,» «always» seeing «the face of the Father» «who is in heaven» and beholding the divinity of the one who created us, both prays with us and cooperates in what is possible concerning the things for which we pray. 12.1 And in addition to these things, I think the words of the saints' prayer are filled with power, especially when praying they pray «in the spirit» «and with the mind,» like a light rising from the mind of the one praying and proceeding from his mouth to dissolve by the power of God the intelligible poison injected from the opposing powers into the ruling faculty of those who are negligent of prayer and do not keep the «pray without ceasing» spoken by Paul according to the exhortations of Jesus. For like a dart from the soul of the one praying goes forth from the saint by knowledge and word or by faith, wounding for the overthrow and destruction of the spirits hostile to God, which wish to surround us with the bonds of sin. 12.2 And he prays «without ceasing,» the works of virtue or the commandments that are performed being taken up as part of prayer, who joins prayer to the required works and the fitting actions to prayer. For only in this way can we understand «pray without ceasing» as having been spoken as something possible, if we should say the whole life of the saint is one great, continuous prayer; of which prayer the prayer commonly so called is a part, which ought to be performed no less than three times each day; which is clear from the things concerning Daniel, praying three times a day although so great a danger was threatening him. And Peter also, going up to «the housetop» <«about»> the «sixth» hour «to pray,» when he also saw the «vessel» «let down» from heaven «let down by four corners,» indicates the middle of the three prayers, the one spoken before him also by David; «In the morning you will hear my prayer, in the morning I will stand before you and watch»; and the last being indicated through the verse: «the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.» But neither should we fittingly pass the time of night without this prayer, as David says: «At midnight I rose to give thanks to you for your righteous judgments,» and Paul, as it is said in the Acts of the Apostles, «about midnight» praying and singing hymns to God with Silas in Philippi, so that the prisoners also were listening to «them.» 13.1 But if Jesus prays and does not pray in vain, obtaining what he asks through prayer, perhaps not having received them without prayer, who of us would be negligent of prayer? For Mark says that «rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he went out and departed to a desolate place, and there he prayed,» and Luke: «And it happened that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him» and in another place: «and he was spending the night in prayer to God»; and John records his prayer, saying: «These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: Father, the hour has come; glorify your son, that your son may also glorify you»; and the «I knew» «that you always hear me» recorded in the same gospel, spoken by the Lord, shows that «always» praying he is «always» heard. 13.2 And why is it necessary to list those who have obtained the greatest things from God through praying in the manner that is necessary, when it is possible for each one to gather more for himself from the scriptures? For Anna contributed to the birth of Samuel, who was numbered with Moses, since, being barren, she believed and prayed to the Lord; and Hezekiah, being still childless, having learned from Isaiah that he would die, having prayed, was taken up into the genealogy of the Savior; and when the people were already about to be destroyed under one command by the plot of Haman, the prayer with fasting of Mordecai and Esther, being heard, in addition to the feasts according to Moses, brought forth the Mordecai day of gladness for the people; but also Judith having offered up a holy

ἄγγελος, «καὶ τῶν» ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ «μικρῶν,» «διὰ παντὸς» βλέπων «τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς» «τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς» καὶ ἐνορῶν τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς τὴν θειότητα, συνεύχεταί τε ἡμῖν καὶ συμπράττει ἐν οἷς δυνατόν ἐστι περὶ ὧν εὐχόμεθα. 12.1 Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις δυνάμεως πεπληρωμένους νομίζω τοὺς λόγους τῆς τῶν ἁγίων εὐχῆς, μάλιστα ὅτε προσευχόμενοι «πνεύ ματι» προσεύχονται «καὶ τῷ νοῒ,» φωτὶ ἐοικότι ἀνατέλλοντι ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ εὐχομένου διανοίας καὶ προϊόντι ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὑπεκ λύειν δυνάμει θεοῦ τὸν ἐνιέμενον νοητὸν ἰὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀντικει μένων δυνάμεων τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ τῶν ἀμελούντων τοῦ εὔχεσθαι καὶ τὸ «ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε» ἀκολούθως ταῖς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ προτρο παῖς εἰρημένον παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ μὴ φυλαττόντων. ὡσπερεὶ γὰρ βέλος ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ εὐχομένου ψυχῆς τῇ γνώσει καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἢ τῇ πίστει πρόεισιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου, τιτρῶσκον ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει καὶ κατα λύσει τὰ ἐχθρὰ τῷ θεῷ πνεύματα, τοῖς τῆς ἁμαρτίας δεσμοῖς περι βαλεῖν ἡμᾶς θέλοντα. 12.2 «ἀδιαλείπτως» δὲ προσεύχεται, καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἀρετῆς ἢ τῶν ἐντολῶν τῶν ἐπιτελουμένων εἰς εὐχῆς ἀναλαμβανομένων μέρος, ὁ συνάπτων τοῖς δέουσιν ἔργοις τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ τῇ εὐχῇ τὰς πρεπούσας πράξεις. οὕτω γὰρ μόνως τὸ «ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε» ἐκδέξασθαι δυνάμεθα ὡς δυνατὸν ὂν εἰρημένον, εἰ πάντα τὸν βίον τοῦ ἁγίου μίαν συναπτομένην μεγάλην εἴποιμεν εὐχήν· ἧς εὐχῆς μέρος ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ συνήθως ὀνομαζομένη εὐχὴ, οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῦ τρὶς ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ὀφείλουσα· ὅπερ δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, τηλικούτου ἐπηρτημένου αὐτῷ κινδύνου εὐχόμε νον τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος δὲ ἀναβαίνων εἰς «τὸ δῶμα» <«περὶ»> τὴν «ἕκτην» «προσεύξασθαι,» ὅτε καὶ ἑώρα τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ «καθιέμενον» «σκεῦος» «τέτρασιν ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον,» παρίστησι τὴν μέσην τῶν τριῶν εὐχὴν, τὴν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λεγο μένην· «τὸ πρωῒ εἰσακούσῃ τῆς προσευχῆς μου, τὸ πρωῒ παραστή σομαί σοι καὶ ἐπόψομαι»· καὶ τῆς τελευταίας δηλουμένης διὰ τοῦ· «ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή.» ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν τῆς νυ κτὸς καιρὸν χωρὶς ταύτης τῆς εὐχῆς καθηκόντως διανύσομεν, τοῦ μὲν ∆αυῒδ λέγοντος· «μεσονύκτιον ἐξεγειρόμην τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαί σοι ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου,» τοῦ δὲ Παύλου, ὡς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων εἴρηται, «κατὰ τὸ μεσονύκτιον» ἅμα τῷ Σίλᾳ ἐν Φιλίπποις προσευχομένου καὶ ὑμνοῦντος τὸν θεὸν, ὥστε ἐπακροᾶσθαι «αὐτῶν» καὶ τοὺς δεσμίους. 13.1 Εἰ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσεύχεται καὶ μὴ μάτην προσεύχεται, τυγχάνων ὧν αἰτεῖ διὰ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι, τάχα οὐκ ἂν αὐτὰ εἰληφὼς χωρὶς εὐχῆς, τίς ἡμῶν ἀμελῇ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι; Μάρκος μὲν γάρ φησιν ὅτι «πρωῒ ἔννυχον λίαν ἀναστὰς ἐξῆλθε καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ἔρημον τόπον, κἀκεῖ προσηύχετο,» ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς· «καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ προσευχόμενον, ὡς ἐπαύσατο, εἶπέ τις τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν» καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· «καὶ ἦν διανυκτερεύων ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ»· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀναγράφει λέγων· «ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὑ τοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπε· πάτερ, ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα· δόξασόν σου τὸν υἱὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε»· καὶ τὸ «ᾔδειν» δὲ «ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις» παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ ἀναγεγραμμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου εἰρημένον δηλοῖ ὅτι «πάντοτε» εὐχόμενος «πάντοτε» ἐπ ακούεται. 13.2 τί δὲ δεῖ καταλέγειν τοὺς διὰ τοῦ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον προσεύξασ θαι μεγίστων ἐπιτετευχότας ἀπὸ θεοῦ, παρὸν ἑκάστῳ ἑαυτῷ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἀναλέξασθαι πλείονα; Ἄννα γὰρ ὑπηρέτησε τῇ γενέσει Σαμουὴλ, τῷ Μωϋσεῖ συναριθμηθέντος, ἐπεὶ μὴ τίκτουσα πιστεύ σασα προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον· Ἐζεκίας δὲ ἔτι ἄπαις τυγχάνων, μαθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τεθνήξεσθαι, προσευξάμενος εἰς τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος γενεαλογίαν ἀνείληπται· ἤδη δὲ ὑφ' ἓν πρόσταγμα ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τοῦ Ἀμὰν ἀπόλλυσθαι μέλλοντος τοῦ λαοῦ, προσευχὴ μετὰ νηστείας Μαρδοχαίου καὶ Ἐσθὴρ ἐπακουσθεῖσα πρὸς ταῖς κατὰ Μωϋσέα ἑορταῖς τὴν Μαρδοχαϊκὴν ἐγέννησεν εὐφροσύνης τῷ λαῷ ἡμέραν· ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰουδὴθ ἁγίαν ἀνενεγκοῦσα