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accurately; for this reason the evangelist also needed these words, in order to set forth the Son's accurate knowledge concerning the Father. For the subject was about knowledge; since if this is not so, for what reason is "the bosom" introduced? For if God is not a body—as indeed He is not—and if it does not indicate genuineness and nearness to the One who begot Him, the word is thrown in simply and randomly, fulfilling no need for us. But it is not thrown in simply, may it not be; for the Spirit utters nothing randomly, but it indicates the nearness of the Son to the Father. For since the evangelist declared the great truth that not even the creation above sees Him, that is, knows Him with accuracy, wishing to establish a trustworthy teacher of the matter, he has set down these words, so that you may believe in all things concerning Him, both as the Son and as the only-begotten and as abiding in the paternal bosom, and doubt no more. And if one were not to be contentious, nor wished to be shameless, I say that this is also indicative of His eternity. For just as from that saying spoken to Moses, "I am who I am," we understand His eternity, so also from this saying, which says, "He who is in the bosom of the Father," it is possible to understand His being eternally in the bosom of the Father. That the essence of God, then, is incomprehensible to all creation, has been demonstrated to us through all these things; it remains, therefore, to show that the Son and the Holy Spirit alone know Him with all accuracy. But postponing this for another discourse, so that we do not overwhelm the memory of what has been said with the sheer amount, let us turn our discourse again to the usual exhortation. And what was our usual exhortation? To hold fast to earnest prayer with a sober mind and a watchful soul. For when I spoke about these things before, I saw everyone readily obeying. It is unfitting, therefore, to rebuke those who are slothful but not to praise those who do well. I wish, then, to praise you today and to give you thanks for that obedience. And the thanks will be this, if we teach you for what reason that prayer comes before the others and why the deacon at that time commands those who are possessed by demons and held by wicked madness to be brought in and to bow their heads. For what reason, then, does he do this? The activity of demons is a wicked and harsh chain, a chain stronger than any iron. Just as, therefore, when a judge is holding court and is about to sit on the high tribunal, the jailers, having brought out all the inhabitants of the prison, seat them before the railings and the curtains of the courthouse—squalid, filthy, long-haired, clad in rags—so too did the fathers legislate that when Christ is about to preside as if on a high tribunal and to appear upon the mysteries themselves, those possessed by demons should be brought in like certain prisoners, not so that they might be held to account for their offenses, like those who are bound, nor that they might undergo punishment and penalty, but so that while the whole people and city are present within, common supplications might be made for them, with all unanimously entreating the common Master on their behalf and, with a vehement cry, exhorting him to have mercy. At that time, then, we used to rebuke those who abandon such a prayer and spend that time outside; but now I wish to rebuke those who remain inside, not because they remain inside, but because, while remaining, they are in no better condition than those who are spending time outside, conversing with one another during that most awesome time. What are you doing, O man? You see so many prisoners from among your brothers standing near, and you are conversing about matters of no relevance? For is the sight alone not sufficient to strike you with awe and lead you to compassion? Your brother is in chains, and you are in sloth? And what excuse will you have, tell me, being so unsympathetic, so inhuman, so cruel? Do you not fear that someday while you are conversing, being slothful, being negligent, some demon might leap out from there

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ἀκριβῶς· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τούτων ἐδεήθη τῶν ῥημάτων ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, ἵνα τὴν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ Υἱοῦ παραστήσῃ γνῶσιν τὴν περὶ τοῦ Πατρός. Περὶ γὰρ γνώσεως ἦν ὁ λόγος· ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτό ἐστι, τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ κόλπος παρείληπται; Εἰ γὰρ μήτε σῶμά ἐστιν ὁ Θεός- ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδέ ἐστι-μήτε τὴν γνησιότητα καὶ τὴν ἐγγύτητα τὴν πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα δηλοῖ, ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῇ τὸ ῥῆμα προσέρριπται, χρείαν ἡμῖν οὐδεμίαν πληροῦν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς προσέρριπται, μὴ γένοιτο· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰκῇ τὸ Πνεῦμα φθέγγεται, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐγγύτητα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα δηλοῖ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα ἀπεφήνατο ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ὅτι οὐδὲ ἡ ἄνω κτίσις αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ, τοῦτ' ἔστι γινώσκει αὐτὸν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, βουλόμενος ἀξιόπιστον ἐπιστῆσαι τοῦ πράγματος διδάσκαλον, ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα τέθεικεν, ἵνα καὶ ὡς Υἱῷ καὶ ὡς μονογενεῖ καὶ ὡς ἐνδιατρίβοντι τῷ κόλπῳ τῷ πατρικῷ περὶ πάντων πιστεύσῃς καὶ μηδὲν ἀμφιβάλῃς λοιπόν. Εἰ δέ τις μὴ φιλονεικοίη, μηδὲ ἀναισχυντεῖν βούλοιτο, καὶ τοῦ ἀϊδίου τοῦτό φημι εἶναι παραστατικόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ῥήσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα λεχθείσης· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν», τὸ ἀΐδιον ἐκλαμβάνομεν, οὕτως καὶ ἐκ τῆς ῥήσεως ταύτης τῆς λεγούσης· «Ὁ ὢν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρός», τὸ ἀϊδίως εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς δυνατὸν ἐκλαβεῖν. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τῇ κτίσει πάσῃ ἀκατάληπτος ἡ οὐσία τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τούτων πάντων ἡμῖν ἀποδέδεικται· λείπεται δὴ λοιπὸν δεῖξαι ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον μόνον μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτὸν ἐπίστανται πάσης. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο εἰς ἑτέραν διάλεξιν ὑπερθέμενοι, ἵνα μὴ τῷ πλήθει καταχώσωμεν τὴν μνήμην τῶν εἰρημένων, ἐπὶ τὴν συνήθη τρέψωμεν τὸν λόγον πάλιν παραίνεσιν. Τίς δὲ ἡ συνήθης ἡμῖν παραίνεσις ἦν; Εὐχῆς ἐκτενοῦς ἔχεσθαι νηφούσῃ διανοίᾳ καὶ ἀγρυπνούσῃ ψυχῇ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πρώην περὶ τούτων διαλεχθείς, εἶδον ἑτοίμως ἅπαντας ὑπακούσαντας. Ἄτοπον οὖν ῥᾳθυμοῦσι μὲν ἐγκαλεῖν, κατορθοῦντας δὲ μὴ ἐπαινεῖν. Ἐπαινέσαι τοίνυν ὑμᾶς βούλομαι τήμερον καὶ χάριν ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τῆς ὑπακοῆς ἐκείνης. Ἔσται δὲ ἡ χάρις, ἂν διδάξωμεν ὑμᾶς τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐκείνη γίνεται πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ τί δήποτε τοὺς δαιμονῶντας καὶ μανίᾳ πονηρᾷ κατεχομένους εἰσάγεσθαι κελεύει τότε ὁ διάκονος καὶ κλίνειν τὰς κεφαλάς; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Ἅλυσις πονηρὰ καὶ χαλεπὴ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶν ἡ ἐνέργεια, ἅλυσις παντὸς σιδήρου δυνατωτέρα. Καθάπερ οὖν δικαστοῦ πρόοδον ἔχοντος καὶ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ τοῦ βήματος προκαθέζεσθαι μέλλοντος, οἱ δεσμοφύλακες τοὺς τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντας ἅπαντας ἐξαγαγόντες τοῦ οἰκήματος, πρὸ τῶν κιγκλίδων καὶ τῶν τοῦ δικαστηρίου παραπετασμάτων καθίζουσιν αὐχμῶντας, ῥυπῶντας, κομῶντας, ῥάκια περιβεβλημένους, οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἐνομοθέτησαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέλλοντος ὥσπερ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ προκαθέζεσθαι βήματος καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν φαίνεσθαι τῶν μυστηρίων, τοὺς δαιμονῶντας καθάπερ δεσμώτας τινὰς εἰσάγεσθαι, οὐχ ἵνα εὐθύνας ὑπόσχωσι τῶν πεπλημμελημένων, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ δεδεμένοι, οὐδ' ἵνα κόλασιν ὑπομείνωσι καὶ τιμωρίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσης ἔνδον παρούσης κοιναὶ περὶ αὐτῶν ἱκετηρίαι γένωνται, πάντων ὁμοθυμαδὸν τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐξαιτουμένων καὶ ἐλεῆσαι παρακαλούντων μετὰ σφοδρᾶς τῆς βοῆς. Τότε μὲν οὖν ἐνεκαλοῦμεν τοῖς καταλιμπάνουσι τὴν τοιαύτην εὐχὴν καὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἔξω διατρίβουσι· νυνὶ δὲ τοῖς ἔνδον μένουσιν ἐγκαλέσαι βούλομαι, οὐχ ὅτι μένουσιν ἔνδον, ἀλλ' ὅτι μένοντες τῶν ἔξω διατριβόντων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διάκεινται, κατὰ τὸν φρικωδέστατον ἐκεῖνον καιρὸν ἀλλήλοις διαλεγόμενοι. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; ὁρᾷς τοσούτους δεσμώτας ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν σῶν ἑστηκότας πλησίον, καὶ σὺ περὶ τῶν οὐδὲν προσηκόντων διαλέγῃ πραγμάτων; ἡ γὰρ ὄψις μόνη οὐχ ἱκανή σε καταπλῆξαι καὶ εἰς συμπάθειαν ἀγαγεῖν; ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἐν δεσμοῖς, καὶ σὺ ἐν ῥᾳθυμίᾳ; καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις συγγνώμην, εἰπέ μοι, οὕτως ἀσυμπαθὴς ὤν, οὕτως ἀπάνθρωπος, οὕτως ὠμός; Οὐ δέδοικας μή ποτέ σου διαλεγομένου, ῥᾳθυμοῦντος, ὀλιγωροῦντος, δαίμων τις ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπηδήσας