24

and to the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY VI. I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge

of the truth. 1. The priest is, as it were, a common father of the whole world. It is right therefore that he should care for all, just as God also does, whom he serves; for this reason he says, I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, be made. For two good things result from this: the enmity which we have towards those without is dissolved; for no one will be able to be hostile towards him for whom he makes supplications; and they themselves become better, both by prayers being made for them, and by not being made savage towards us. For nothing is so conducive to teaching, as to love and 62.530 to be loved. Consider what it was for those who conspired against them, who scourged them, who drove them out, who killed them, to hear that those who suffered such things were making earnest prayers to God for those who did such things. Do you see how he wants the Christian to be superior to all? For just as in the case of young children, even if the child being carried strikes its father’s face, nothing of the affection is cut short; so also if we are struck by those from without, we ought to diminish none of the good-will towards them. And what is, First of all? That is, in the daily worship. And the initiated know this, how every day it happens, both in the evening and in the morning; how we make supplication for the whole world, and for kings, and for all who are in authority. But perhaps someone will say that he said not for all, but for the faithful. What then, when he says, For kings? for at that time the kings were certainly not 62.531 God-fearing, but they continued for a long time, the impious succeeding the impious. Then, so that the matter might not be flattery, he said beforehand: For all, and then, For kings. For if he had said, For kings only, perhaps someone would have supposed this. Then since it was likely that the Christian soul would grow numb hearing these things, and not accept the exhortation, if indeed one must offer prayers for the Greek in the time of the mysteries, see what he says, and how he states the benefit, so that at least in this way you may accept the exhortation. That we may lead a quiet, he says, and peaceable life. That is, their safety is our freedom from care; just as also in the Epistle to the Romans, urging them to obey the rulers, he says: Not only for necessity, but for conscience. For God ordained rulers for the common good. How then is it not absurd that they should campaign for this, and take up arms, so that we may be in safety; but that we should not even make supplications for those who are in peril and campaigning? so that the matter is not flattery, but is done according to the principle of justice. For if they were not kept safe, nor were successful in wars, our own affairs would necessarily be in turmoil and disturbances; for either we ourselves would have to go to war, if they were cut down, or flee everywhere and wander. For they are like certain bulwarks, he says, set before us, and keeping those within in peace. Supplications, he says, prayers,

24

καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΣΤʹ. Παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων ποιεῖσθαι δεή σεις, προσευχὰς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὑπὲρ βασιλέων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων, ἵνα ἤρεμον καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνό τητι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καλὸν καὶ ἀποδεκτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν

ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. αʹ. Ὥσπερ κοινός τίς ἐστι πατὴρ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ὁ ἱερεύς. Πάντων τοίνυν ἄξιον αὐτὸν κήδεσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, ᾧ ἱερᾶται· διὰ τοῦτό φησι, Παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς. ∆ύο γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν γίνεται τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τό τε ἔχθος ὃ πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω ἔχομεν καταλύεται· οὐδεὶς γὰρ πρὸς τοῦτον ἀπεχθῶς ἔχειν δυνήσεται, ὑπὲρ οὗ δεήσεις ποιεῖται· αὐτοί τε ἐκεῖνοι βελτίους γίνονται τῷ τε εὐχὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γίνεσθαι, τῷ τε μὴ ἐκθηριοῦσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω πρὸς διδασκαλίαν ἐπαγωγὸν, ὡς τὸ φιλεῖν καὶ 62.530 φιλεῖσθαι. Ἐννόησον δὲ ὅσον ἦν ἀκούειν τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας, τοὺς μαστίζοντας, τοὺς ἐλαύνοντας, τοὺς ἀποκτιννύντας, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πάσχοντες ὑπὲρ τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα δρώντων προσευχὰς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ποιοῦνται ἐκτενεῖς. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀνώτερον εἶναι βούλεται τὸν Χριστιανὸν πάντων; Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν παίδων τῶν νηπίων, κἂν βασταζόμενον τὸ παιδίον τύπτῃ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν ὄψιν, οὐδὲν ὑποτέμνεται τῆς φιλοστοργίας· οὕτω κἂν τυπτώμεθα παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν, οὐδὲν ὀφείλομεν ἐλαττοῦν τῆς εὐνοίας τῆς πρὸς αὐτούς. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ, Πρῶτον πάντων; Τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ λατρείᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ. Καὶ τοῦτο ἴσασιν οἱ μύσται πῶς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γίνεται, καὶ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ καὶ ἐν πρωΐᾳ· πῶς ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ βασιλέων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων ποιούμεθα τὴν δέησιν. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὲρ πάντων εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν πιστῶν. Τί οὖν, ὅταν λέγῃ, Ὑπὲρ βασιλέων; οὐ γὰρ δὴ τότε θεοσεβεῖς 62.531 ἦσαν βασιλεῖς, ἀλλὰ μέχρι πολλοῦ προῆλθον, ἀσεβεῖς ἀσεβεῖς διαδεχόμενοι. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ κολακεία τὸ πρᾶγμα ᾖ, προλαβὼν εἶπεν· Ὑπὲρ πάντων, καὶ τότε, Ὑπὲρ βασιλέων. Εἰ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὑπὲρ βασιλέων μόνων, ἴσως ἄν τις τοῦτο ὑπέλαβεν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν τὴν τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ ψυχὴν ναρκᾷν ταῦτα ἀκούουσαν, καὶ μὴ προσίεσθαι τὴν παραίνεσιν, εἴ γε ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἕλληνος ἐν τῷ τῶν μυστηρίων δεῖ καιρῷ δεήσεις προσφέρειν, ὅρα τί φησι, καὶ πῶς τίθησι τὸ κέρδος, ἵνα κἂν οὕτω δέξῃ τὴν παραίνεσιν. Ἵνα ἤρεμον, φησὶ, καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν. Τουτέστιν, ἡ ἐκείνων σωτηρία ἡμῶν ἀμεριμνία ὑπάρχει· ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους Ἐπιστολῇ, προτρέπων αὐτοὺς πείθεσθαι τοῖς ἄρχουσι, φησίν· Εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ κοινῇ χρήσιμον τὰς ἀρχὰς διετάξατο. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον αὐτοὺς μὲν ὑπὲρ τούτου στρατεύεσθαι, καὶ τὰ ὅπλα τίθεσθαι, ἵν' ἡμεῖς ἐν ἀδείᾳ ὦμεν· ἡμᾶς δὲ μηδὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν κινδυνευόντων καὶ στρατευομένων ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις; ὥστε οὐ κολακεία ἐστὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου γίνεται λόγον. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐσώζοντο, μηδὲ εὐδοκίμουν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐν ταραχαῖς εἶναι καὶ θορύβοις· ἢ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς στρατεύεσθαι ἔδει, κατακοπέντων ἐκείνων, ἢ φεύγειν πανταχοῦ καὶ πλανᾶσθαι. Καθάπερ γὰρ πρόβολοί τινές εἰσι, φησὶ, προβεβλημένοι, καὶ τοὺς ἔνδον ἐν εἰρήνῃ φυλάττοντες. ∆εήσεις, φησὶ, προσευχὰς,