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of perfection, so that in the name of a perfect Father and God we may receive the seal, and in the name of a perfect Son and God, and in the name of 22.7 a divine and perfect Spirit we may receive the seal. O holy Triad that is numbered, a Triad numbered in one name. For it is not called a one and a two, nor a monad and a monad, but a monad in a triad and a triad in a monad, of a single form, of a single name, one God, Father in Son, Son in Father with the Holy Spirit. 23.1 Call for me witnesses of the truth, call for me the children saved from the Babylonian furnace, who were deemed worthy to be cast into the fire, but not to be consumed, not to quench the fire, lest they be thought to have devised new works against it, but to be in the fire, and in the fire not be consumed because of their right faith, with God teaching us through them, what things are created and what are uncreated, what things are made and what are not made, what things are ever-existing and what things are from them, having come into being. 23.2 These children who were saved wished to show a thankful mind to the God who saved them, in whom they hoped from the beginning and did not doubt and 23.3 did not bow their neck to an image and to the insolence of a king and his tyranny. And when they wished to offer something to God, having searched the depths with the Holy Spirit in their heart, being holy, and having considered the heaven and all things in it, and the earth and all things under it and all things that exist to be unworthy to be brought as an offering to God— 23.4 for they had neither the power to offer to God the things beyond themselves, and according to their worth and according to their power wishing only to praise God with hymns—for this is what is written, "Offer a sacrifice of praise" and "A sacrifice of praise will glorify me,"—having already changed the old covenant to a new, being moved by the Holy Spirit, having no need of sacrifices of animals nor of burnt offerings—for they say, "there is no place to offer fruit, nor sacrifice, nor altar," as all things were included, 23.5 but wishing to offer such praise and leaving aside their own littleness, they behave with humility—"for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"—for with the grace of their salvation they also receive this gift of humility and wish to offer praise to God and not grow weary. 23.6 And having tested themselves against the ineffable doxology of God, they deem it right to take creation along with themselves into the doxology and begin to speak, having included all of creation. 24.1 And having separated the things made from the one who made them and the created things from the creator, they say, "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord." 24.2 They said all and left nothing out. But so that the Holy Spirit might characterize the perfect knowledge for knowing, what is divine and what things were made by God, so that we may not mix the things that came from nothing with the eternal, so that we may not lose our minds, it brought all things together by number. 24.3 For the Holy Spirit revealed to them, as ones deemed worthy to be with angels and having become fellow-dwellers with angels, the things in the heavens and on the earth and under the earth, 24.4 and for the rest, they were not ignorant. And these same holy children say, as I said before: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord," and they begin to number and to divide what are the works, what are the things that made them, what are the things that work and what are the things that have been worked; 24.5 and they number heaven, earth, the waters above the heaven, and angels—for the angels are created—and thrones and powers—for these are created—sun, moon—for they are made and not uncreated—clouds and snowfalls, winds, snows, lightnings, thunders, earth, sea, springs, abysses, rivers, all humanity, mountains, birds of the heaven, cattle

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τελειότητος, ὅπως ἐν ὀνόματι πατρὸς τελείου καὶ θεοῦ τὴν σφραγῖδα κομισώμεθα καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι υἱοῦ τελείου καὶ θεοῦ καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι 22.7 πνεύματος θείου καὶ τελείου λάβωμεν τὴν σφραγῖδα. ὦ τριὰς ἁγία ἀριθμουμένη, τριὰς ἐν ἑνὶ ὀνόματι ἀριθμουμένη. οὐ γὰρ λέγεται ἑνὰς καὶ δυὰς οὐδὲ μονὰς καὶ μονάς, ἀλλὰ μονὰς ἐν τριάδι καὶ τριὰς ἐν μονάδι, μονοειδῶς μονωνύμως εἷς θεός, πατὴρ ἐν υἱῷ, υἱὸς ἐν πατρὶ σὺν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. 23.1 Κάλει δέ μοι μάρτυρας τῆς ἀληθείας, κάλει μοι τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς καμίνου τῆς Βαβυλωνίας σωθέντας, τοὺς καταξιωθέντας ἐν πυρὶ καταβληθῆναι, μὴ ἀναλωθῆναι δέ, οὐ σβέσαι τὸ πῦρ, ἵνα μὴ ὑποληφθῶσι καινὰ ἔργα ἀντιμηχανησάμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐν πυρὶ μὲν εἶναι, ἐν πυρὶ δὲ μὴ ἀναλωθῆναι διὰ τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν, τοῦ θεοῦ δι' αὐτῶν ἡμᾶς διδάσκοντος, τίνα μέν ἐστι τὰ κτιστὰ τίνα δὲ τὰ ἄκτιστα, τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ ποιητὰ τίνα τὰ μὴ γενόμενα, τίνα τὰ ἀεὶ 23.2 ὄντα τίνα δὲ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὄντα, γενόμενα δέ. οἱ τοιοῦτοι σωθέντες παῖδες ἠθέλησαν εὐχάριστον ἀποδεῖξαι γνώμην εἰς τὸν θεὸν τὸν σώσαντα αὐτούς, εἰς ὃν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἤλπισαν καὶ οὐκ ἐδίστασαν καὶ 23.3 οὐκ ἔκλιναν αὐχένα εἰκόνι καὶ θράσει βασιλέως καὶ τυραννίδι. καὶ ὅτε ἠθέλησάν τι ἀπονεῖμαι θεῷ ἀνερευνήσαντες τὰ βάθη τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἅγιοι ὄντες, διανοηθέντες τε τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, τήν τε γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπ' αὐτὴν καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔστι μὴ ἄξια εἶναι εἰς προσφορὰν θεῷ προσενεχθῆναι 23.4 οὔτε γὰρ εἶχον ἐξουσίαν τὰ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοὺς θεῷ προσφέρειν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν μὲν καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν θέλοντες μόνον ὕμνοις ὑμνεῖν τὸν θεόν τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ γεγραμμένον «θύσατε θυσίαν αἰνέσεως» καί «θυσία αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με», ἤδη μεταβαλόντες τὴν παλαιὰν εἰς καινὴν διαθήκην πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ὑπονυττόμενοι, οὐ ζῴων θυσίας οὐδὲ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων χρείαν ἔχοντες φασὶ γάρ «οὐκ ἔστι τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι οὐδὲ θυσία οὐδὲ θυσιαστήριον», ὡς τῶν πάντων περι23.5 ληφθέντων, βουλόμενοι δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην αἴνεσιν προσφέρειν καὶ ἐάσαντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν σμικρότητα ταπεινοφρόνως φέρονται «πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται»· μετὰ γὰρ τοῦ χαρίσματος τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας λαμβάνουσι καὶ ταύτην τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ βούλονται τὸν αἶνον 23.6 θεῷ προσφέρειν καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν. καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάσαντες πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἄρρητον δοξολογίαν ἀξιοῦσι συμπαραλαβεῖν μεθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν κτίσιν εἰς δοξολογίαν καὶ ἄρχονται λέγειν συμπεριειληφότες πᾶσαν τὴν ποίησιν. 24.1 ∆ιελόντες δὲ τὰ ποιήματα ἀπὸ τοῦ ποιήσαντος καὶ τὰ κτιστὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ κτίσαντός φασιν «εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα κυρίου τὸν 24.2 κύριον». πάντα εἶπον καὶ οὐδὲν κατέλιπον. ἵνα δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον χαρακτηρίσῃ τὴν τελείαν γνῶσιν εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι, ποῖον τὸ θεῖον ποῖα δὲ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ γενόμενα, ἵνα μὴ συμμίξωμεν τῷ ἀιδίῳ τὰ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γενόμενα, ἵνα μὴ ἀπολέσωμεν ἑαυτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀριθμῷ μὲν τὰ πάντα συνήγαγεν. ἀπεκάλυπτε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὸ πνεῦμα 24.3 τὸ ἅγιον ὡς καταξιωθεῖσιν ἅμα ἀγγέλοις εἶναι συνδιαίτοις τε γενομένοις ἀγγέλων, τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ τὰ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς 24.4 καὶ λοιπὸν οὐκ ἠγνόουν. καί φασιν οἱ αὐτοὶ ἅγιοι παῖδες, ὡς προεῖπον· «εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα κυρίου τὸν κύριον» καὶ ἄρχονται ἀριθμεῖν τε καὶ διαιρεῖν ποῖα τὰ ἔργα ποῖα τὰ ποιήσαντα, ποῖα τὰ 24.5 ἐργαζόμενα ποῖα δὲ τὰ ἐργασθέντα· καὶ ἀριθμοῦσιν οὐρανὸν γῆν ὕδατα ἐπάνω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλους κτιστοὶ γὰρ οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ θρόνους καὶ δυνάμεις κτιστὰ γὰρ ταῦτα, ἥλιον σελήνην ποιητὰ γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἄκτιστα, νέφη καὶ νιφετούς, ἀνέμους χιόνας ἀστραπὰς βροντὰς γῆν θάλασσαν πηγὰς ἀβύσσους ποταμοὺς πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπότητα ὄρη πετεινὰ οὐρανοῦ, κτήνη