Do they too, then, mean this by their worship? Well, is it anything but absurdity to think that it is wrong to honour the Holy Spirit with that with which the patriarch honoured even Canaanites? Or do they consider their “worship” something different to this, as if one sort were fitting for men, another sort for the Supreme Being? But then, how is it that they omit worship altogether in the instance of the Spirit, not even bestowing upon Him the worship conceded in the case of men? And what kind of worship do they imagine to be reserved especially for the Deity? Is it to be spoken word, or acted gesture? Well, but are not these marks of honour shared by men as well? In their case words are spoken and gestures acted. Is it not, then, plain to every one who possesses the least amount of reflection, that any gift worthy of the Deity mankind has not got to give; for the Author of all blessings has no need of us. But it is we men who have transferred these indications of respect and admiration, which we adopt towards each other, when we would show by the acknowledgment of a neighbour’s superiority that one of us is in a humbler position than another, to our attendance upon a Higher Power; out of our possessions we make a gift of what is most precious to a priceless Nature. Therefore, since men, approaching emperors and potentates for the objects which they wish in some way to obtain from those rulers, do not bring to them their mere petition only, but employ every possible means to induce them to feel pity and favour towards themselves, adopting a humble voice, and a kneeling position57    Still the word προσκυνεῖν became consecrated to the highest Christian worship while θεραπεύειν was employed for address to the angels. “Every supplication, every prayer, every entreaty, and every giving of thanks must be offered to the Almighty through the High Priest who is over all the angels, the incarnate Word and God. And we shall make supplication and prayer to the Word Himself also, and we shall give Him thanks if we can distinguish prayer in its proper meaning from the wrong use of the word,” Origen c. Cels. v. 4 (Cf. viii. 13, where he answers the question whether Gabriel, Michael, and the rest of the archangels should be addressed, θεραπευέσθαι)., clasping their knees, prostrating themselves on the ground, and putting forward to plead for their petition all sorts of pathetic signs, to wake that pity,—so it is that those who recognize the True Potentate, by Whom all things in existence are controlled, when they are supplicating for that which they have at heart, some lowly in spirit because of pitiable conditions in this world, some with their thoughts lifted up because of their eternal mysterious hopes, seeing that they know not how to ask, and that their humanity is not capable of displaying any reverence that can reach to the grandeur of that Glory, carry the ceremonial used in the case of men into the service of the Deity. And this is what “worship” is,—that, I mean, which is offered for objects we have at heart along with supplication and humiliation. Therefore Daniel too bends the knees to the Lord, when asking His love for the captive people; and He Who “bare our sicknesses,” and intercedes for us, is recorded in the Gospel to have fallen on His face, because of the man that He had taken upon Him, at the hour of prayer, and in this posture to have made His petition, enjoining thereby, I think, that at the time of our petition our voice is not to be bold, but that we are to assume the attitude of the wretched; since the Lord “resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble;” and somewhere else (He says), “he that exalteth himself shall be abased.” If, then, “worship” is a sort of suppliant state, or pleading put forward for the object of the petition, what is the intention of these new-fashioned regulations? These men do not even deign to ask of the Giver, nor to kneel to the Ruler, nor to attend upon the Potentate. [Translation lacking starting with "ὅτι γὰρ πάντα ταῦτα θεωρεῖται".]

ἆρ' οὖν τοῦτο νοοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν; καὶ πῶς οὐ καταγέλαστον τὸ μήτε τούτου οἴεσθαι δεῖν ἀξιοῦν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὗ καὶ τοὺς Χαναναίους ὁ πατριάρχης ἠξίωσεν; ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ παρὰ ταύτην νομίζουσι τὴν προσκύνησιν, ὡς τὴν μὲν ἀνθρώποις, τὴν δὲ τῇ ὑπερεχούσῃ φύσει προσήκουσαν; πῶς οὖν καθόλου τὴν προσκύνησιν ἀθετοῦσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος μηδὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων συγκεχωρημένην αὐτῷ χαριζόμενοι; Τίνα δὲ καὶ νομίζουσιν ἰδίως ἀποτετάχθαι τῷ θεῷ προσκυνήσεως τρόπον; τὸ εἰπεῖν τῷ ῥήματι ἢ τὸ ἐνεργῆσαι τῷ σχήματι; ἢ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἐστὶ κοινά: καὶ γὰρ λέγεται καὶ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων τὰ ῥήματα καὶ ἐνεργεῖται τὰ σχήματα: τί οὖν ἐπὶ θεοῦ τὸ ἐξαίρετον; ἢ παντὶ δῆλον τῷ καὶ ὁποσονοῦν διανοίας μετέχοντι ὅτι θεοῦ μὲν ἄξιον δῶρον ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἔχει οὐδέν: τῶν γὰρ ἀγαθῶν ἡμῶν ὁ ποιητὴς ἡμῶν χρείαν οὐκ ἔχει. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰς τιμητικὰς ταύτας καὶ ἀγαπητικὰς ἐνδείξεις, ἃς ἐπ' ἀλλήλων ποιούμεθα ἕτερος τοῦ ἑτέρου ταπεινότερος εἶναι τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ τῆς τοῦ πέλας ὑπεροχῆς ἐνδεικνύμενοι, ταύτας μετηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὴν θεραπείαν τῆς κρείττονος φύσεως τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τὰ τίμια τῇ ἀτιμήτῳ φύσει δωροφοροῦντες. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ἐπειδὴ προσιόντες βασιλεῦσιν ἢ δυνάσταις οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν γενέσθαι τι αὐτοῖς παρὰ τῶν δυναστευόντων θελήσωσιν, οὐ ψιλὴν προσάγουσι τοῖς κρατοῦσι τὴν αἴτησιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν μάλιστα πρὸς οἶκτον καὶ εὔνοιαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπαγάγοιντο, ταπεινοῦνται τῷ λόγῳ καὶ προσκυνοῦσι τῷ σχήματι καὶ γονάτων ἅπτονται καὶ εἰς ἔδαφος πίπτουσι καὶ διὰ πάντων οἰκτιζόμενοι συνήγορον τῆς αἰτήσεως ἑαυτῶν προβάλλονται, δι' ὧν ποιοῦσι τὸν ἔλεον. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ τὴν ἀληθῆ δυναστείαν ἐπεγνωκότες, δι' ἧς πάντα διοικεῖται τὰ ὄντα, προσιόντες ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν ᾖ φίλον αὐτοῖς. οἱ μὲν ταπεινοὶ τὰς ψυχὰς περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ σπουδαζομένων, οἱ δὲ ὑψηλοὶ τὴν διάνοιαν περὶ τῶν αἰωνίων καὶ ἀπορρήτων ἐλπίδων, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὅπως αἰτήσουσιν οὐδὲ χωρεῖ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἐνδείξασθαί τινα τιμὴν πρὸς τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν τῆς δόξης φθάνουσαν, μετήνεγκαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων νενομισμένην θεραπείαν εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμήν. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ προσκύνησις ἡ μετὰ ἱκεσίας καὶ ταπεινότητος τῶν καταθυμίων τινὸς αἴτησις γινομένη. διὸ καὶ Δανιὴλ κάμπτει τῷ κυρίῳ τὰ γόνατα, ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου λαοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αἰτούμενος καὶ ὁ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν βαστάσας καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐντυγχάνων διὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὃν ἀνέλαβε πίπτειν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἱστόρηται καὶ τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι τὴν εὐχὴν ἐποιεῖτο, νομοθετῶν, οἶμαι, τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ τὸ μὴ ἀπαυθαδιάζεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς αἰτήσεως, ἀλλὰ διὰ πάντων πρὸς τὸ ἐλεεινὸν μεθαρμόζεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν καὶ Πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται. εἰ οὖν ἡ προσκύνησις οἷον ἱκετηρία τίς ἐστι, εἰς συνηγορίαν προβεβλημένη τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς αἰτήσεως, ἡ δὲ αἴτησις πρὸς τὸν τῆς διανομῆς κύριον γίνεται, τίς ἡ διάνοια τῆς καινῆς ταύτης νομοθεσίας; οὐ συνορῶ, μήτε παρὰ τοῦ διδόντος αἰτεῖν μήτε ὑποκύπτειν τῷ ἄρχοντι μήτε θεραπεύειν τὸν δυναστεύοντα μήτε προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἡγούμενον: ὅτι γὰρ πάντα ταῦτα θεωρεῖται περὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἐχθρὸς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ὡς μὴ συνθέσθαι τῷ λόγῳ: ἡγεῖται μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τῇ φύσει, δυναστεύει δὲ τὸ πάντα ἐνεργοῦν ἐν πᾶσιν, ἐξουσιάζει δὲ τὸ κατ' ἐξουσίαν διαιροῦν τὰ χαρίσματα καθὼς βούλεται, εὐεργετεῖ δὲ ζωὴν χαριζόμενον, ἐλεεῖ λυτρούμενον, θεοποιεῖ θεῷ προσάγον, υἱοθετεῖ Χριστῷ προσοικειοῦν βασιλείαν δωρούμενον, τὸ νεκρὸν ἀνίστησιν, τὸν πεπτωκότα ἐγείρει, τὸν πεπλανημένον εἰς εὐθεῖαν καθίστησιν, τῷ ἑστῶτι φυλάσσει τὴν διαμονήν, τὸν ἀποθανόντα εἰς ἀνάστασιν ἄγει. ἆρα μικρὰ ταῦτα καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς χάριτος ἄξια; οὐκοῦν εἰπάτωσαν τὰ τούτων ἀνώτερα, ὧν ἀμέτοχόν ἐστι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δι' ὃ νομίζουσι καὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖσθαι ἀνάξιον.