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of the earth? What then is there to say? The earth was separated from heaven, the angels were at war with men, seeing their own Lord being insulted. To sum up, he says, all things in Christ, things in heaven, and things on earth. How? The things in the heavens thus: he transferred man there, he brought up to them the enemy, the hated one. Not only did he make things on earth to be at peace, but he brought him up to them, the enemy and foe. This is a profound peace. Angels again appeared on earth henceforth, since man also appeared in heaven. And it seems to me that the snatching away of Paul happened for this reason, and to show that the Son also was taken up there. For on earth the peace is twofold, both towards the heavenly things, and towards itself; but in the heavens it is single. For if the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents, much more over so many. The power of God has accomplished all these things. Why then do you trust in angels, he says? For they are so far from bringing you near, that they were once at war, and, if God himself had not reconciled you to them, you would not have been at peace. Why then do you run to them? Do you want to learn how great a hatred the angels had for us, and how they always turned away? They were sent for punishment against the Israelites, against David, against the Sodomites, against the valley of weeping. But not now; but on the contrary, they sang on earth, rejoicing greatly; and he brought these down to them, and he brought men up there. 4. And behold for me the paradox. These he first brought down here, and then he brought man up to them; the earth has become heaven, since heaven was about to receive the things of earth. For this reason, giving thanks we say, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Behold, he says, and 62.322 men appeared well-pleasing henceforth. What is, Good will? Reconciliation; heaven is no longer a middle wall. At first the angels were according to the number of the nations; but now not according to the number of nations, but according to the number of the faithful. How is this clear? Hear Christ saying: See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. For each of the faithful has an angel, since also from the beginning each of the men of good will had an angel; as Jacob says, The angel who has fed me, and who has delivered me from my youth. If then we have angels, let us be sober, as though certain tutors are present with us; for a demon is also present. For this reason we pray, and we speak asking for the angel of peace, and everywhere we ask for peace. For nothing is equal to this; peace in the churches, in the prayers, in the supplications, in the greetings; and once, and twice, and thrice, and many times the one presiding over the Church gives it, saying, Peace to you. Why? Because this is the mother of all good things, this is the foundation of joy. For this reason also Christ commanded the apostles, when entering into houses, to say this immediately, as a sort of symbol of good things; For when entering, he says, into houses, say, Peace to you. For without this, all things are superfluous. And again he said to the disciples, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. This prepares the way for love. And the one presiding over the Church does not say, Peace to you simply, but, Peace to all. For what is the benefit, if we have peace with this one, but with another war and battle? what is the gain? For not even in the body, if some of the elements are at rest, but others are in discord, is it possible for health ever to consist, but through the good order and harmony and peace of all; and if all are not at rest, and do not remain in their own bounds, all will be overturned. And in our own mind, if all our thoughts are not at rest, there will be no peace. So great a good is peace, as

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γῆς; τί οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν; Ἀπέσχιστο ἡ γῆ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐκπεπολεμωμένοι ἦσαν οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τὸν ∆εσπότην ὁρῶντες τὸν αὐτῶν ὑβριζόμενον. Ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαί φησι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πῶς; Τὰ μὲν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς οὕτω· μετέστησεν ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀνήγαγεν αὐτοῖς τὸν ἐχθρὸν, τὸν μισούμενον. Οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐποίησεν εἰρηνεύειν, ἀλλ' ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς, τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ πολέμιον. Τοῦτο εἰρήνη βαθεῖα. Ἄγγελοι πάλιν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐφαίνοντο λοιπὸν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐφάνη. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τοῦ Παύλου τούτου τε ἕνεκεν γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐκεῖ ἀνελήφθη. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ γῇ διπλῆ ἡ εἰρήνη, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐπουράνια, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτά· ἐν δὲ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἁπλῆ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι χαίρουσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοσούτοις. Ταῦτα πάντα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἰσχὺς κατώρθωσε. Τί οὖν ἀγγέλοις θαῤῥεῖτε, φησί; Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπέχουσιν ἐκεῖνοι προσάγειν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι καὶ ἐκπεπολεμωμένοι ἦσαν ποτὲ, καὶ, εἰ μὴ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς ἐκείνοις κατήλλαξεν, οὐκ ἂν εἰρηνεύσατε. Τί τοίνυν ἐκείνοις προστρέχετε; Βούλει μαθεῖν τῶν ἀγγέλων τὸ μῖσος ὅσον εἶχον πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ πῶς ἀπεστρέφοντο ἀεί; Εἰς τιμωρίαν ἐπέμποντο ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἐπὶ τῶν Σοδομιτῶν, ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλάδος τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος. Ἀλλ' οὐ νῦν· ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐναντίας, ἐπὶ γῆς ᾖδον σφόδρα χαίροντες· καὶ τούτους κατήγαγε πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀνήγαγεν ἐκεῖ. δʹ. Καὶ θέα μοι τὸ παράδοξον. Τούτους πρώτους κατήγαγεν ὧδε, καὶ τότε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀνήγαγε πρὸς αὐτούς· οὐρανὸς ἡ γῆ γέγονεν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῆς γῆς ἔμελλεν οὐρανὸς δέχεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐχαριστοῦντες λέγομεν, ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. Ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, καὶ 62.322 ἄνθρωποι ἐφάνησαν εὐαρεστοῦντες λοιπόν. Τί ἐστιν, Εὐδοκία; Καταλλαγή· οὐκέτι μεσότοιχόν ἐστιν ὁ οὐρανός. Τὸ πρῶτον κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἐθνῶν ἦσαν οἱ ἄγγελοι· νῦν δὲ οὐ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν πιστῶν. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἄκουε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Ὁρᾶτε μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων. Οἱ γὰρ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διαπαντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἕκαστος γὰρ πιστὸς ἄγγελον ἔχει, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἕκαστος ἀνὴρ τῶν εὐδοκίμων ἄγγελον εἶχε· καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰακώβ, Ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ τρέφων με, καὶ ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ νεότητός μου. Εἰ τοίνυν ἀγγέλους ἔχομεν, νήφωμεν, καθάπερ παιδαγωγῶν τινων ἡμῖν παρόντων· πάρεστι γὰρ καὶ δαίμων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐχόμεθα, καὶ λέγομεν αἰτοῦντες τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ πανταχοῦ εἰρήνην αἰτοῦμεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ταύτης ἴσον· ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις εἰρήνην, ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, ἐν ταῖς λιταῖς, ἐν ταῖς προσρήσεσι· καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ τρὶς, καὶ πολλάκις αὐτὴν δίδωσιν ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προεστὼς, Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, ἐπιλέγων. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι αὕτη μήτηρ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐστιν, αὕτη τῆς χαρᾶς ὑπόθεσις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εἰσιοῦσιν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τοῦτο λέγειν προσέταξεν εὐθέως, καθάπερ τι σύμβολον τῶν ἀγαθῶν· Εἰσερχόμενοι γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὰς οἰκίας, λέγετε, Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. Ταύτης γὰρ οὐκ οὔσης, πάντα περιττά. Καὶ πάλιν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν, Εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. Αὕτη τῇ ἀγάπῃ προοδοποιεῖ. Καὶ οὐ λέγει ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προεστὼς, Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ', Εἰρήνη πᾶσι. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ἂν μετὰ τοῦδε μὲν εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν, μεθ' ἑτέρου δὲ πόλεμον καὶ μάχην; τί τὸ κέρδος; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἂν τὰ μὲν ἡσυχάζῃ τῶν στοιχείων, τὰ δὲ διαστασιάζῃ, δυνατὸν ὑγίειαν συνεστάναι ποτὲ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἁπάντων εὐταξίας καὶ συμφωνίας καὶ εἰρήνης· κἂν μὴ πάντα ἡσυχάζῃ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκείων ὅρων μένῃ, πάντα ἀνατραπήσεται. Καὶ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ δὲ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ, ἐὰν μὴ πάντες ἡσυχάζωσιν οἱ λογισμοὶ, εἰρήνη οὐκ ἔσται. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀγαθὸν ἡ εἰρήνη, ὡς