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saying that he is moved by the multitude calling upon him with goodwill. For in his defense to Jonah, through the gourd plant, he says: "You have had pity on the gourd, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; and should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of men?" He does not simply put forward the multitude, but so that you may learn that prayer with one accord has great power. This I wish to make clear to you also from human history. For ten years ago, certain men were seized for tyranny, as you also know. Then one of those in power, being found responsible for the crimes, with a rope on his mouth, was led away on the road to death. Then indeed the whole city ran to the hippodrome and they led out those from the workshops and the entire populace in common went up and snatched from the imperial wrath the one who had been condemned and was worthy of no pardon. Then, wishing to appease the wrath of an earthly king, you all ran together with children and wives, but when you are about to make the King of heaven merciful and to snatch from his wrath not one as then, nor two and three and a hundred, but all the sinners throughout the world and to deliver those possessed by demons from the snare of the devil, you sit outside and do not run together, all in common, so that God, respecting your unanimity, may both remit their punishment and forgive your sins? For if you happen to be in the marketplace at that time, if in your house, if in unavoidable business, will you not, having broken all your bonds more fiercely than any lion, hasten to the common supplication? What hope of salvation will you have, tell me, at that time, beloved? Not only men shout that most awesome cry, but also angels fall down before the Master, and archangels pray. They also have the moment as their ally, the offering as their help. And just as men, having cut olive branches, wave them at kings, reminding them of mercy and love for mankind through the plant, so indeed do the angels then, instead of olive branches, offer the very body of the Lord, beseeching the Master for human nature, as if saying that we pray for these whom you yourself first deigned to love so much as to give your own soul; for these we pour out our supplications, for whom you yourself poured out your blood; for these we entreat, for whom you sacrificed this body. For this reason also the deacon at that time has the possessed stand and commands them only to bow their heads and to make their supplications with the posture of the body; for it is not lawful for them to pray with the common assembly of the brethren. For this reason he has them stand, so that having pitied them both for their misfortune and their speechlessness, you may use your own freedom of speech for their protection. Therefore, considering all these things, let us run together at that hour, that we may draw down mercy, and find grace and timely help. You have praised what has been said; with much clamor and applause you have received the exhortation. But that you may show us your praise in your deeds, the time for the proof of your obedience is not long. Immediately after the exhortation is the prayer. That is the praise I seek, that applause which is through the deeds themselves. Therefore, encourage one another to stand, just as you are standing; and if anyone is shaken from his place, hold him fast with precision, so that having received a double reward both for your own zeal and for your care for the brethren, you may pour out your supplications with greater freedom of speech, and having made God merciful, you may be able to obtain the good things both here and in the age to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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λέγοντος ὅτι δυσωπεῖται τὸ πλῆθος μετ' εὐνοίας αὐτὸν παρακαλοῦν. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἀπολογούμενος, διὰ τοῦ φυτοῦ τῆς κολοκύνθης, φησί· «Σὺ μὲν ἐφείσω ὑπὲρ τῆς κολοκύνθης, ὑπὲρ ἧς οὐκ ἐκακοπάθησας, οὐδὲ ἐξέθρεψας αὐτήν· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ φείσομαι ὑπὲρ Νινευὶ τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, ἐν ᾗ κατοικοῦσι πλείους ἢ δώδεκα μυριάδες ἀνδρῶν;» Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸ πλῆθος προβάλλεται, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἡ μετὰ συμφωνίας εὐχὴ μεγάλην ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης ἱστορίας ὑμῖν ποιῆσαι βούλομαι φανερόν. Πρὸ γὰρ δέκα τούτων ἐτῶν ἑάλωσαν ἐπὶ τυραννίδι τινές, καθάπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἴστε. Εἶτα τῶν ἐν δυναστείᾳ τις ὄντων ὑπεύθυνος τοῖς ἐγκλήμασι φανείς, σπαρτίον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος λαβών, ἐξήγετο τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ὁδόν. Τότε δὴ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις ἐπὶ τὸν ἱππόδρομον ἔτρεχε καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐργαστηρίων ἐξῆγον καὶ κοινῇ πᾶς ὁ δῆμος ἀνελθὼν ἐξήρπασε τῆς βασιλικῆς ὀργῆς τὸν καταδικασθέντα καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ἄξιον ὄντα συγγνώμης. Εἶτα βασιλέως μὲν ὀργὴν ἐπιγείου καταλῦσαι βουλόμενοι, μετὰ παίδων καὶ γυναικῶν συνετρέχετε πάντες, τὸν δὲ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλέα μέλλοντες ἵλεω ποιήσειν καὶ ἐξαρπάσειν τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ οὐχ ἕνα καθάπερ τότε, οὐδὲ δύο καὶ τρεῖς καὶ ἑκατόν, ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἁμαρτωλοὺς καὶ τοὺς δαιμονῶντας ἀπαλλάττειν τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος, ἔξω καθέζεσθε καὶ οὐ συντρέχετε κοινῇ πάντες, ἵνα ὁ Θεὸς τὴν συμφωνίαν ὑμῶν αἰδεσθείς, κἀκείνοις ἀφῇ τὴν κόλασιν καὶ ὑμῖν συγχωρήσῃ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα; Εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς τύχοις ὢν κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον, εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, εἰ γὰρ ἐν ἀπαραιτήτοις πράγμασιν, οὐχὶ παντὸς λέοντος σφοδρότερον ἅπαντα διαρρήξας τὰ δεσμὰ πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν ἱκετηρίαν αὐτομολήσεις; Ποίαν ἕξεις σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα, εἰπέ μοι, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον, ἀγαπητέ; Οὐκ ἄνθρωποι μόνοι βοῶσι τὴν φρικωδεστάτην ἐκείνην βοήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγγελοι προσπίπτουσι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι δέονται. Ἔχουσι καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῖς συμμαχοῦντα, τὴν προσφορὰν βοηθοῦσαν. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, κλάδους ἐλαιῶν ἐκκόψαντες, ἐπισείουσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, διὰ τοῦ φυτοῦ αὐτοὺς ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἀναμιμνήσκοντες, οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι τότε ἀντὶ κλάδων ἐλαιῶν αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν προτεινόμενοι, τὸν ∆εσπότην παρακαλοῦσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, μονονουχὶ λέγοντες ὅτι ὑπὲρ τούτων δεόμεθα, οὓς αὐτὸς φθάσας οὕτως ἀγαπῆσαι κατηξίωσας, ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιδοῦναι τὴν σεαυτοῦ· ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐκχέομεν τὰς ἱκετηρίας, ὑπὲρ ὧν αὐτὸς τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεας· ὑπὲρ τούτων παρακαλοῦμεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο κατέθυσας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς ἐνεργουμένους κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἵστησι τὸν καιρὸν ὁ διάκονος καὶ κελεύει κλῖναι τὴν κεφαλὴν μόνον καὶ τῷ σχήματι τοῦ σώματος ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἱκετηρίας· εὔχεσθαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς μετὰ τοῦ κοινοῦ συλλόγου τῶν ἀδελφῶν οὐ θέμις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἵστησιν, ἵνα κατελεήσας αὐτοὺς καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς καὶ τῆς ἀφωνίας, τῇ οἰκείᾳ παρρησίᾳ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀποχρήσῃ προστασίαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες συντρέχωμεν κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ἐκείνην, ἵνα ἐπισπασώμεθα ἔλεον, καὶ χάριν εὕρωμεν καὶ εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν. Ἐπῃνέσατε τὰ εἰρημένα· μετὰ πολλοῦ θορύβου καὶ κρότου τὴν παραίνεσιν ἐδέξασθε. Ἀλλ' ὅπως ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξησθε τοὺς ἐπαίνους, οὐ μακρὸς ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἀποδείξεως τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὑπακοήν. Μετὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν εὐθέως εὐχή. Ἐκεῖνον ζητῶ τὸν ἔπαινον, ἐκεῖνον τὸν κρότον τὸν διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν. Παρακελεύεσθε τοίνυν ἀλλήλοις ἑστάναι, καθάπερ ἑστήκατε· κἂν διασαλευθῇ τις τῆς τάξεως, κατέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ἵνα καὶ τῆς οἰκείας σπουδῆς καὶ τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς κηδεμονίας διπλοῦν λαβόντες τὸν μισθὸν μετὰ πλείονος τῆς παρρησίας τὰς ἱκετηρίας ἐκχέητε, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἵλεω ποιήσαντες, καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων δυνηθῆτε τυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.