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having kept. For the blessed Moses wrote that first the trees came into being by the divine word, then that the kinds of swimming creatures were brought forth, and in addition to these and with these the nature of the birds that travel through the air, and after these, wild beasts and cattle, and last, man. And having called the nature of men to hymnody, again by 81.1340 division they exhort them to hymn the Creator; and first of all the others, they exhort the sons of Israel to do this; and these they divide in many ways, and they place the priests first, as indeed having been entrusted with the divine liturgy. Then, lest they should be thought to confine the hymnody to the priests alone, they add: 85. "Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord, hymn and exalt him above all for ever;" as if to say that it is possible for one stripped of the priesthood to serve the Master with goodwill. They also proclaim the resurrection: 86. "For bless the Lord," they say, "you spirits and souls of the just;" that is, the spiritual souls of the just, who have become superior to human passions, who have received the grace of the Spirit. Then also those who possess certain forms of virtue: 87. "Bless the Lord," they say, "you holy and humble of heart." For it is possible, they say, for those who are free from injustice and possessed of a humble mind, both to please God and to offer a fitting hymn. And they did not list all these things out of idle talk, but first, kindling their love for the Master, and reminding themselves of the unspeakable benefits, and of the creation that came into being from the beginning for the sake of men; for by these words they declare: We hymn You and exalt You above all, because You benefit us through angels, because You created heaven for our sake, and You light the day with the sun, and with the moon You temper the darkness of the night, and You teach us the measures of time; we hymn You, because You have caused heaven to sprout for us a meadow of stars, and You feast our eyes with unfading flowers, and through their course You grant us to know the measures of the night. And who could hymn You worthily, seeing the changes of the seasons, the alterations of the solstices, the heat that fittingly comes in summer? then the refreshing breezes of winds, the cold and rain brought on in winter, and each thing proceeding with rhythm and order, lightnings announcing the rain, clouds giving birth to the rain, mountains and plains flourishing with crops and groves, springs gushing forth and offering irrigation to the plants, rivers running without cease and not accepting a pause in their course, the sea lying in the midst, a cause of friendship and concord, and a common place for these and those, receiving their contracts? And, not to speak of each thing, first the blessed ones mentioned all these, showing their own gratitude, and wishing to perform the hymn more fervently by the memory of the benefits; then, also trying to instruct the Chaldeans 81.1341 listening from outside, that the elements worshipped by them are creations of the God of all. For this reason they clearly mention fire and waters, sun and moon, heaven and earth, wishing to persuade the foolish to cease from worshipping the visible things, and to recognize their Master, and to offer him fitting worship. For it was likely that, seeing the great wonder, and seeing the defeat of the fire, and the shame of themselves and their king, and the salvation and boldness of those captive boys, they would receive the teaching of piety through the hymnody. Thus having hymned, they add lastly: 88. "Bless the Lord, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, hymn and exalt him above all for ever." Thus they considered themselves the last of creation, and the most humble of all men. Such was also the blessed Paul, saying: "To me, the very least of all the saints, was this grace given." And elsewhere: "Christ," he says, "came into the

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φυλάξαντες. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μα κάριος Μωσῆς, πρῶτα μὲν φῦναι τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ τὰ δένδρα συνέγραψεν, εἶτα τῶν νηκτῶν παραχθῆναι τὰ γένη, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ σὺν τούτοις τῶν ἀερο πόρων ὀρνίθων τὴν φύσιν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα θηρία καὶ κτήνη, τελευταῖον δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καλέσαντες δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν, πάλιν κατὰ 81.1340 διαίρεσιν ὑμνεῖν παρεγγυῶσι τὸν Ποιητήν· καὶ πρώ τους μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ τοῦτο ποιεῖν παρακελεύονται· καὶ τούτους δὲ πολλα χῶς διαιροῦσι, καὶ τάττουσι πρώτους τοὺς ἱερεῖς, ἅτε δὴ τὴν θείαν λειτουργίαν πεπιστευμένους. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῶσι μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσι περιγράφειν τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν, ἐπάγουσιν· πεʹ. "Εὐλογεῖτε, δοῦλοι Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον, ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ὑπερυψοῦτε εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας·" μονονουχὶ λέγοντες, ὅτι δυνατὸν εὐνοϊκῶς δουλεύειν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ καὶ τὸν ἱερωσύνης γεγυμνωμένον. Προκηρύττουσι καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν· π ϛʹ. "Εὐλογεῖτε γὰρ, φασὶ, πνεύματα καὶ ψυχαὶ δικαίων, τὸν Κύριον·" τουτέστιν, αἱ πνευματικαὶ τῶν δικαίων ψυχαὶ, αἱ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παθῶν ὑπέρ τεραι γενόμεναι, αἱ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν ὑποδεξάμεναι. Ἔπειτα καὶ τοὺς ἀρετῆς εἴδη τινὰ κε κτημένους· πζʹ. "Εὐλογεῖτε, φασὶν, ὅσιοι καὶ ταπεινοὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, τὸν Κύριον." ∆υνατὸν γὰρ, φασὶν, ἀδικίας ἀπηλλαγμένους, καὶ ταπεινῷ φρονήματι κεχρημέ νους, καὶ ἀρέσκειν Θεῷ καὶ τὸν ἁρμόττοντα ὕμνον προσφέρειν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀδολεσχίᾳ χρώμενοι κατ έλεξαν ἅπαντα, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν τὸ περὶ τὸν ∆εσπό την πυρσεύοντες φίλτρον, καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναμι μνήσκοντες τῶν ἀῤῥήτων εὐεργεσιῶν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένης δημιουργίας· διὰ γὰρ τούτων μηνύουσι τῶν λόγων, ὅτι Ὑμνοῦμέν σε καὶ ὑπερυψοῦμεν, ὅτι δι' ἀγγέλων ἡμᾶς εὐεργε τεῖς, ὅτι οὐρανὸν ἡμῶν χάριν ἐδημιούργησας, ἡλίῳ δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν φωτίζεις, καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ τῆς νυκτὸς κεραννύεις τὸ ἀφεγγὲς, καὶ τοῦ χρόνου ἡμᾶς τὰ μέ τρα διδάσκεις· ὑμνοῦμέν σε, ὅτι καὶ λειμῶνα ἡμῖν ἀστέρων βλαστῆσαι τὸν οὐρανὸν παρεσκεύασας, καὶ ἄνθεσιν ἀμαράντοις ἑστιᾷς ἡμῶν τὰς ὄψεις, καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ δρόμου τούτων παρέχεις τὰ μέ τρα γινώσκειν. Καὶ τίς ἄν σε πρὸς ἀξίαν ὑμνήσειεν, ὁρῶν τῶν ὡρῶν τὰς μεταβολὰς, τῶν τροπῶν τὰς ἀλλαγὰς, καῦμα προσφόρως ἐν θέρει γινόμενον; εἶτα πνευμάτων αὔρας ἀναψυχούσας, ψύχος ἐν χει μῶνι καὶ ὑετὸν ἐπιφερόμενον, καὶ ἕκαστον ῥυθμῷ καὶ τάξει προβαῖνον, ἀστραπὰς τὸν ὑετὸν μηνυούσας, νεφέλας τὸν ὑετὸν ὠδινούσας, ὄρη καὶ πεδία ληΐοις κομῶντα, καὶ ἄλσεσι, πηγὰς ὑπαναβλυζούσας, καὶ ἀρδείαν τοῖς φυτοῖς προσφερούσας, ποταμοὺς ἄπαυ στα τρέχοντας, καὶ τοῦ δρόμου παῦλαν οὐ δεχομέ νους, θάλατταν ἐν μέσῳ κειμένην, φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας αἰτίαν, καὶ χωρίον κοινὸν τούτων κἀκείνων δεχόμενον τὰ συμβόλαια; Καὶ ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγω, πρῶ τον μὲν τούτων ἁπάντων ἐμνημόνευσαν οἱ μακάριοι, τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδεικνύντες εὐγνωμοσύνην, καὶ θερμό τερον ἐπιτελέσαι τὸν ὕμνον τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν εὐερ γεσιῶν βουλόμενοι· ἔπειτα δὲ, καὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους 81.1341 ἔξωθεν ὑπακούοντας παιδεῦσαι πειρώμενοι, ὅτι τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν προσκυνούμενα στοιχεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων [ἐστὶ] ποιήματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πυρὸς καὶ ὑδάτων. ἡλίου τε καὶ σελήνης, οὐρανοῦ τε καὶ γῆς ἐναργῶς μνημονεύουσι, πεῖσαι βουλόμενοι τοὺς ἀνοήτους, παύ σασθαι μὲν τοῦ προσκυνεῖν τὰ ὁρώμενα, τὸν δὲ τού των ∆εσπότην ἐπιγνῶναι, καὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν αὐτῷ θεραπείαν προσενεγκεῖν. Εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν τὸ μέγα θαῦμα θεωμένους, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ἧτταν ὁρῶντας, καὶ αὑτῶν δὲ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως αὑτῶν αἰσχύνην, τῶν αἰχμαλώτων δὲ ἐκείνων παίδων τὴν σωτηρίαν τε καὶ παῤῥησίαν, δέξασθαι διὰ τῆς ὑμνῳδίας τὴν τῆς εὐ σεβείας διδασκαλίαν. Οὕτως ὑμνήσαντες τελευταίως ἐπάγουσιν· πηʹ. "Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον, ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ὑπερυψοῦτε αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας." Οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ἐσχάτους ἡγοῦντο τῆς κτί σεως, καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων εὐτελεστάτους. Τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, λέγων· "Ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· "Χριστὸς, φησὶν, ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν