De oratione

 Therefore, the one of these, I mean the 'what we should pray for,' is the words of the prayer, but the 'as we ought' is the state of the one praying

 we are more than conquerors.” It is likely that “intercedes” only concerns those who are not so great as to be more than conquerors, nor again such as

 God be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and give me bread to eat and a garment to put on, and bring me back with safety to my father's hous

 of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying: This is the word, which the Lord commanded: A man, who shall vow a vow to the Lord or swear an oath with

 of those who say there is providence for it is not our present purpose to examine the sayings of those who entirely deny God or providence) God kn

 since God exists and has comprehended the whole universe and abides in His pre-arranged decrees, to pray, supposing that by his prayer he will alter G

 and from what is in our power, which will be enacted according to our impulse. For even if, hypothetically, God did not know the future, we would not

 “let him not boast” “before” me but let him say: “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God,” and perceiving my

 of prayer benefits those who have persuaded themselves that they have stood before and are speaking to a present and hearing God? 9.1 What has been sa

 to God, who ordains what he wills for our training, but not even murmuring in the secret of our thoughts without a voice audible to men which murmuri

 his preeminence, and stretching forth the right hand and giving to Judas a golden sword, to whom another saint who had fallen asleep testified, sa

 an angel, «of the» in the church «little ones,» «always» seeing «the face of the Father» «who is in heaven» and beholding the divinity of the one who

 the prayer of Holofernes with God prevails and one woman of the Hebrews brought shame to the house of Nebuchadnezzar But 'Ananias' 'and Azarias and M

 suffering from a basilisk, because through Christ he has stepped upon them and has trampled “lion and dragon,” having used the good authority given by

 doxology for greater things, offered up more magnificently by someone, and intercession, a request to God concerning certain things by one having a ce

 And an example of thanksgiving is the voice of our Lord, saying: “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these thing

 kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their princesses your nurses they shall bow down to <you> with their face to the ground, and shall lick the

 with him the intelligible blessing reaching all the saints, spoken by Isaac to Jacob, namely: «May God give you of the dew of heaven,» to have come to

 of things truly and genuinely great and heavenly, and matters concerning the shadows that follow the preceding things must be entrusted to God, who kn

 For it is the work of hypocrites to want to put on airs before men for the sake of piety or for social reasons. But it is necessary, remembering the s

 20.2 And we must listen carefully to that they may be seen, since nothing that is merely apparent is good, as if existing in appearance and not in t

 It is not that God has not been called 20father20, or that those who are considered to have believed in God have not been named sons of God but rathe

 he has imitated the image «of the invisible God» and has become «according to the image of the one who created him,» who makes «his sun» rise «on the

 20Father20» let him go. And let us seek to understand more mystically the saying at the end of the Gospel according to John: «Do not touch me, for I h

 in order to persuade the reader from every side, according to the power given to us, to hear the divine scripture in a higher and more spiritual way,

 to exalt «0the name20» of God «at the same time,» is <when> someone, having partaken of an emanation of divinity by being taken up by God and having p

 We are commanded by Paul no longer to be subject to sin which wants to rule over us, and indeed we are ordered through these words: Let not sin there

 for us «0on earth20» likewise to them in all things “the 20will20” of God should be done which will happen, when we do nothing contrary to His «0will

 to divinity and being united with it. 26.5 But since the second point does not yet solve the difficulties about how «0the will20» of God is «0in heave

 we will set these things forth from more numerous sources. He says in the Gospel according to John to those who had come to Capernaum to seek him: “Tr

 nor are you able even now for you are still of the flesh” and in the one to the Hebrews: “and you have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyon

 being set apart, but is subject to every quality just like a prepared place. And by qualities they mean dispositively the activities and productions i

 by a demonstration of the angels and their becoming more ready to cooperate in every way and henceforth to concur in the apprehension of more and grea

 in the psalms thus: a thousand years in your eyes are as yesterday, which has passed (which is the famous millennium, which is likened to the yeste

 «0today20» but also in a way of the «0daily20» he who prays for «0today20», from the one who is able to grant «exceedingly abundantly above all that w

 and we are in a theater of the world and of angels and of men, it must be known that, just as the one in the theater is a 20debtor20 to say or do cert

 heavenly Father will do, unless you 20forgive20 each his brother from your hearts.” They say, however, that we 20must forgive20 those who have sinned

 they conceived a thought against God” for he offers the sacrifice concerning things of which it is doubted whether a sin has been committed, and this

 which our Lord taught concerning prayer. But when has anyone considered men to be outside of 20temptations20, whose word he knew he had fulfilled? And

 every time is one of 20temptation20 for men, even these things not even he who meditates on the law of God «day and night» and practices to fulfill w

 Finding such things in the law and the prophets, they stumbled as at one who was not good, who uttered such words but for us, on account of the diffi

 having desired generation, pray again to obtain twice what you desire, having come to hate the thing desired, and then thus to return to the good thin

 of our own evils and let us give thanks for the good things revealed to us through 20temptations20. But that the 20temptations20 which happen are for

 to put on (for he has received), but by in all that befell him not to have sinned at all before the Lord but to be shown to be righteous of the o

 to pray, stretching out the soul, as it were, before the hands, and stretching the mind toward God before the eyes, and before standing, arousing the

 which is possible, unless one gives himself to this by agreement for a time, that perhaps also concerning the place, if it is permissible, it must b

 It seems to me that these things have necessarily been said, while examining the place of prayer and representing what is exceptional as in a place at

 for the sake of magnifying you, my Lord, Lord.” 33.4 An example of confessions: “Deliver me from all my iniquities,” and in other places: “My wounds h

in order to persuade the reader from every side, according to the power given to us, to hear the divine scripture in a higher and more spiritual way, whenever it seems to teach that God is in a place. And it was fitting for these things to be considered together with 'Our Father who art in heaven,' as it were, separating the substance of God from all created things; for to those things with which he does not have communion, a certain glory of God and his power, and, so to speak, an effluence of the Godhead, comes to be in them. 24.1 'Hallowed be thy name.' Sometimes it indicates that that for which he prays has not yet happened, and at other times, having obtained this, he asks that it remain and be preserved, it is clear, as far as the wording here is concerned, that since the name of the Father has not yet been hallowed, we are commanded to say, at least according to Matthew and Luke, the words: 'Hallowed be thy name.' And how, someone might say, does a man ask for 'the name' of God to be hallowed as if it were not hallowed? Let us consider what 'the name' of the Father is and what it is for it to be 'hallowed'. 24.2 A 'name,' then, is a summary designation indicative of the particular quality of the one named; for example, there is a certain particular quality of Paul the apostle, one of the soul, according to which he is of such a kind, another of the mind, according to which he is a contemplator of such things, and another of his body, according to which he is of such a sort. The particular character of these qualities, therefore, which does not run together with another (for there is no other in existence exactly like Paul), is signified by the name 'Paul.' But in the case of humans, as their particular qualities change, names are also rightly changed according to the scripture; for when the quality of 'Abram' changed, he was called 'Abraham,' and that of Simon, he was named 'Peter,' and that of 'Saul' who persecuted Jesus, he was addressed as 'Paul.' But in the case of God, who himself is always unchangeable and unalterable, there is always one name, as it were, even for him, the 'I AM' spoken in Exodus or anything that might be so called. Since, therefore, we all suppose something about God, thinking whatever things we do about him, but not all of us suppose what he is (for rare, and, if one must say so, rarer than the rare are those who comprehend his holiness in all things), we are reasonably taught for the conception of God in us to become holy, so that we may see his holiness as he creates and provides and judges and chooses and forsakes and accepts and turns away and deems worthy of a prize and punishes each one according to his merit. 24.3 For in these and similar things, so to speak, is characterized the particular quality of God, which I think is called the 'name of God' according to the scriptures, in Exodus: 'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain'; and in Deuteronomy: 'Let my declaration be expected as the rain, let my words come down as the dew, as a shower upon the grass and as snow upon the fodder; for I have called on the name of the Lord,' and in the Psalms: 'They will remember your name in all generations.' For both he who applies the concept of God to things to which he ought not takes 'the name of the Lord God' 'in vain,' and he who is able to utter rain, which assists the hearers in the fruitfulness of their souls, and to bring forth exhorting words like dew, and with the force of edifying words to bring a most beneficial shower or a most effective snow upon the listeners, is able to do these things for this reason. Having considered himself in need of God who perfects, he calls to himself the true provider of the aforementioned things; and everyone who makes clear the things concerning God is reminded rather than learns, even if he seems to hear from someone or thinks he is discovering the mysteries of piety. 24.4 And just as the one who prays must understand these things here, asking for 'the name' of God to be hallowed; so in the Psalms it is said, 'Let us exalt his name together,' with the prophet commanding that with all harmony, in the same mind and in the same judgment, we should arrive at the true and lofty knowledge of the particular quality of God. For this

ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάντοθεν κατὰ τὴν διδομένην ἡμῖν δύναμιν πεῖσαι τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα ὑψηλότερον καὶ πνευματικώτερον ἀκούειν τῆς θείας γραφῆς, ὅταν δοκῇ ἐν τόπῳ διδάσκειν εἶναι τὸν θεόν. ἔπρεπε δὲ ταῦτα συνεξετασθῆναι τῷ «0πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς20,» οἱονεὶ ἀφιστάντι τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν γεννητῶν· οἷς γὰρ οὐ κοινωνεῖ, αὐτοῖς δόξα τις θεοῦ καὶ δύναμις αὐτοῦ, καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ἀποῤῥοὴ τῆς θεότητος ἐγγίνεται αὐτοῖς. 24.1 «0Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου20.» ὅτε μὲν παρίστησι τὸ μὴ γεγονέναι πω, περὶ οὗ εὔχεται, ὁτὲ δὲ τούτου τυχὼν τὸ μὴ παρα μένειν αὐτὸ καὶ τηρεῖσθαι ἀξιοῖ, φανερὸν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ λέξει ἐνταῦθα, ὡς μηδέπω 20ἁγιασθέντος τοῦ ὀνόματος20 τοῦ 20πατρὸς20, κελεύεσθαι λέγειν ἡμᾶς κατά γε τὸν Ματθαῖον καὶ τὸν Λουκᾶν τό· «0ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου20.» καὶ πῶς, εἴποι τις ἂν, ἄνθρωπος ἀξιοῖ 20ἁγιάζεσθαι «τὸ ὄνομα20» τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς μὴ 20ἡγιασμένον20; τί «0τὸ ὄνομα20» τοῦ 20πατρὸς20 καὶ τί τὸ 20ἁγιάζεσθαι20 αὐτὸ, κατανοήσωμεν. 24.2 «0ὄνομα20» τοίνυν ἐστὶ κεφαλαιώδης προσηγορία τῆς ἰδίας ποιό τητος τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου παραστατική· οἷόν ἐστι τὶς ἰδία ποιότης Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἡ μέν τις τῆς ψυχῆς, καθ' ἣν τοιάδε ἐστὶν, ἡ δέ τις τοῦ νοῦ, καθ' ἣν τοιῶνδέ ἐστι θεωρητικὸς, ἡ δέ τις τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, καθ' ἣν τοιόνδε ἐστί. τὸ τοίνυν τούτων τῶν ποιοτήτων ἴδιον καὶ ἀσυντρόχαστον πρὸς ἕτερον (ἄλλος γάρ τις ἀπαράλλακτος Παύλου ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν οὐκ ἔστι) δηλοῦται διὰ τῆς «Παῦλος» ὀνομασίας. ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱονεὶ ἀλλασσομένων τῶν ἰδίων ποιοτήτων, ὑγιῶς κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ἀλλάσσεται καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα· μεταβαλούσης γὰρ τῆς τοῦ «Ἀβρὰμ» ποιότητος, ἐκλήθη «Ἀβραὰμ,» καὶ τῆς τοῦ Σίμωνος, ὁ «Πέτρος» ὠνομάσθη, καὶ τῆς τοῦ διώκοντος τὸν Ἰησοῦν «Σαοὺλ,» προσηγορεύθη ὁ «Παῦλος.» ἐπὶ δὲ θεοῦ, ὅστις αὐτός ἐστιν ἄτρεπτος καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ἀεὶ τυγχάνων, ἕν ἐστιν ἀεὶ τὸ οἱονεὶ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, τὸ «<ὁ> ὢν» ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ εἰρημένον ἤ τι οὕτως ἂν λεχθησό μενον. ἐπεὶ οὖν περὶ θεοῦ πάντες μὲν ὑπολαμβάνομέν τι, ἐννοοῦντες ἅτινα δή ποτε περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐ πάντες δὲ ὅ ἐστι (σπάνιοι γὰρ καὶ, εἰ χρὴ λέγειν, τῶν σπανίων σπανιώτεροι οἱ τὴν ἐν πᾶσιν ἁγιότητα καταλαμβάνοντες αὐτοῦ), εὐλόγως διδασκόμεθα τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἔννοιαν περὶ θεοῦ ἁγίαν γενέσθαι, ἵν' ἴδωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁγιότητα κτίζοντος καὶ προνοοῦντος καὶ κρίνοντος καὶ ἐκλεγομένου καὶ ἐγκαταλείποντος ἀποδεχομένου τε καὶ ἀποστρεφομένου καὶ γέρως ἀξιοῦντος καὶ κολάζον τος ἕκαστον κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν. 24.3 ἐν τούτοις γὰρ καὶ τοῖς παραπλησίοις, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, χαρακτη ρίζεται ἰδία ποιότης τοῦ θεοῦ, ἥντινα νομίζω «0ὄνομα20 θεοῦ» λέγεσθαι κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς, ἐν μὲν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ· «οὐ λήψῃ 20τὸ ὄνομα20 κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ ματαίῳ» ἐν δὲ τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ· «προσδοκάσθω ὡσεὶ ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου, καταβήτω ὡσεὶ δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου, ὡσεὶ ὄμβρος ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον· ὅτι 20ὄνομα20 κυρίου ἐκάλεσα,» ἐν δὲ ψαλμοῖς· «μνησθήσονται τοῦ 20ὀνόματός σου20 ἐν πάσῃ γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ.» ὅ τε γὰρ οἷς μὴ δεῖ ἐφαρμόζων τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ θεοῦ λαμβάνει «0τὸ ὄνομα20 κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ» «ἐπὶ ματαίῳ,» ὅ τε δυνάμενος ἀποφθέγξασθαι ὑετὸν, τοῖς ἀκούουσι συνεργοῦντα τῇ καρποφορίᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥήματα δρόσῳ ἐοικότα παρακλη τικὰ προσαγόμενος τῇ τε ῥύμῃ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῶν λόγων ὄμβρον ὠφελιμώτατον ἐπάγων τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς ἢ νιφετὸν ἀνυσιμώτατον, διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα δύναται. ταῦτα ἐπινοήσας ἑαυτὸν δεόμενον θεοῦ τοῦ τελειοῦντος καλεῖ παρ' ἑαυτὸν τὸν τῶν προειρημένων κυρίως χορηγόν· πᾶς τε τρανῶν καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπομιμνήσκεται μᾶλλον ἢ μανθάνει, κἂν ἀπό τινος ἀκούειν δοκῇ ἢ εὑρίσκειν νομίζῃ τὰ τῆς θεοσεβείας μυστήρια. 24.4 ὥσπερ δὲ τὰ ἐνθάδε δεῖ νοεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον, αἰτεῖν αὐτὸν 20ἁγιασθῆναι «τὸ ὄνομα20» τοῦ θεοῦ· οὕτως ἐν ψαλμοῖς τὸ «ὑψώσωμεν 20τὸ ὄνομα20 αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ» λέγεται, προστάσσοντος τοῦ προφήτου μετὰ πάσης συμφωνίας ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ φθάσαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ὑψηλὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἰδιότητος τοῦ θεοῦ. τοῦτο γάρ