34

only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth," we who were poor have become rich, and he himself was shown rich from being poor, he did not become rich. For his glory has become manifest, that he is "as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." "He did not abhor nor despise the supplication of the poor;" for it was sent up for the salvation of all. "And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ49 the righteous," that he may forgive us our sins. Therefore, as long as we are in sin, we have him as an advocate. But when we cease to have sins, he no longer intercedes at all concerning this. "Whence he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." If he intercedes for them, that they might live, when they live, he no longer offers up this prayer for them, but rather for its preservation, for remaining in it. Therefore he did not despise this supplication of the poor nor abhor him who offered it up. "Nor did he turn his face away." But one's face is turned away in prayer when God does not assent, but even prevents the prayer from being sent up. He once prevented Jeremiah from praying for the people. Why? For ambassadors and advocates ought to offer intercession for those who have repented and no longer sin. For he says: "Do you not see what they do? Their fathers" in their multitudes have turned to idolatry and do not remain. So too was Samuel's face turned away, when he heard, "How long will you mourn for Saul, when I have rejected him?" But the face of those interceding has confidence, if those for whom they intercede concur with his purpose. that he did not despise nor abhor the supplication of the poor 25 nor turn away his face from me. The poor man himself speaks about himself. A change of person has occurred. The compositional spirit says: "he did not despise nor abhor the supplication of the poor." Then that poor man himself, whose prayer was not abhorred, was not turned away, says: "he did not turn his face away from me and when I cried to him he heard me." 25 and when I cried to him he heard me. It is a great thing to say this. This is not said with bare utterance, but when that for which he prayed is shown to have come to pass. So this has come to pass. 26 From you is my praise in a great church. Behold, I have accomplished the work of the cry; I have presented it, a great church, "glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." This, then, is my praise, to have set this aright. Just as, therefore, it is not a great thing to praise the perfect one, in whom wisdom is spoken, for drinking milk, so it is not a great thing nor does it bring praise to one who has an surpassing life. He is not praised, then, for such things, not for other deeds, but for setting aright a whole church, and not just any, but a great one. And this too is possible: my accomplishment is a great praise for the church. 50 From you is my praise in a great church, I will confess to you 26 I will pay my vows before those who fear him. Vows are paid for things given in thanks and things that have already happened. A prayer is called the supplication sent up to God. But when it is sent up with a confession, that if such and such happens for me, I will give such and such in return, this prayer is a supplication, it is a vow. For example, Jacob said, "if God gives me bread to eat, of all that he gives me, I will give a tenth." This is a vow. No one who has prayed for something and not received it will say at the right time, "I will pay my vows." Since "before those who fear him"? - this, so that they may be helped; for they themselves will also learn to pay the vows they vow. And it is possible "before those who fear," not in front of those who sacrifice - for not even those who sacrifice can know what thanksgiving

34

μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας", ἐκ πτωχῶν πλούσιοι γεγόναμεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ πτωχοῦ πλούσιος ἀνεδείχθη, οὐ πλούσιος γέγονεν. ἡ δόξα γοῦν αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γέγονεν, ὅτι "ὡς μονογενής" ἐστιν "παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας". "οὐ προώχθισεν οὐδὲ ἐξουδένωσεν τὴν δέησιν τοῦ πτωχοῦ"· ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας γὰρ τῶν ὅλων ἀνεπέμπετο. "καὶ ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Ἰησοῦν Χρισ49 τὸν δίκαιον", ἵνα ἀφῇ ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. οὐκοῦν ὅσον ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐσμέν, παράκλητον αὐτὸν ἔχομεν. ὅταν δὲ παυσώμεθα τοῦ ἔχειν ἁμαρτίας, οὐδὲ ἀ´̣ρα περὶ τούτου παρακαλεῖ ὅλως. "ὅθεν καὶ σῴζειν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς δύναται τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ προσερχομένους τῷ θεῷ, ζῶν πάντοτε εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχάνειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν". εἰ ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἵνα ζήσωσιν, ὅταν ζήσωσιν, οὐκέτι ἀναφέρει ταύτην τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν εὐχήν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἄρα περὶ φυλακῆς αὐτῆς, περὶ τοῦ παραμένειν αὐτῇ. ταύτην οὖν τὴν δέησιν τοῦ πτωχοῦ οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν οὐδὲ προσώχθισεν τῷ ἀναφέροντι αὐτήν. "οὐδὲ ἀπέστρεψεν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον". ἀποστρέφεται δέ τινος τὸ πρόσωπον εὐχομένου, ὅταν μὴ ἐπινεύῃ θεός, ἀλλὰ καὶ κωλύῃ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπεσθαι. τὸν ᾿Ι̣ηρεμίαν ποτὲ ἐκώλυσεν εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ. διὰ τί; οἱ γὰρ πρεσβευταὶ καὶ παράκλητοι ὑπὲρ μετανοησάντων καὶ μηκέτι ἁμαρτανόντων ὀφείλουσιν πρεσβείαν ἀναφέρειν. λέγει γοῦν· "οὐχ ὁρᾷς τί αὐτοὶ ποιοῦσιν; οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν" πανπληθεὶ εἰς τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν ἔρεψαν καὶ οὐ μένουσιν. οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἀπεστράφη τὸ πρόσωπον, ὅτε ἤκουσεν· "ἕως πότε πενθεῖς ἐπὶ Σαούλ, κἀγὼ ἐξουδένωσα αὐτόν"; παρρησίαν δὲ τῶν πρεσβευομένων ἔχει τὸ πρόσωπον, ἐὰν συντρέχωσιν τῇ προαιρέσει αὐτοῦ οἱ περὶ ὧν πρεσβεύουσιν. ὅτι οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν οὐδὲ προσώχθισεν τῇ δεήσει τοῦ πτωχοῦ 25 οὐδὲ ἀπέστρεψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. αὐτὸς ὁ πτωχὸς λέγει περὶ ἑαυτοῦ. τοῦ προσώπου μεταβολὴ γέγονεν. τὸ συνγραφικὸν πνεῦμα λέγει· "οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν οὐδὲ προσώχθισεν τῇ δεήσει τοῦ πτωχοῦ". εἶτα αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πτωχός, οὗ ἡ προσευχὴ οὐκ ἐβδελύχθη, οὐκ ἀπεστράφη, λέγει· "οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέν μου". 25 καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέν μου. μέγ̣α ε᾿̣σ̣τ̣ὶν τὸ εἰπεῖν τοῦτο. οὐ ψιλῇ μὲν προφορᾷ λέγεται τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅταν δειχθῇ ὑπάρξαν τὸ ὑπὲρ οὗ ηὔξατο. γέγονεν οὖν τοῦτο. 26 παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ. ἰδοὺ τὸ ἔργον τῆς κραυγῆς κατώρθωσα· ἐκκλησίαν με γάλην παρέστησα αὐτήν, "ἔνδοξον, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων". ἔπαινός μου οὖν ἐστιν οὗτος τὸ ταύτην κατορθῶσαι. ὥσπερ οὖν οὔκ ἐστιν μέγα τὸν τέλειον ἐπαινεῖν, ἐν ᾧ σοφία λαλεῖται, ἐπὶ τῷ γαλακτοποτεῖν, οὕτως οὐ μέγα ἐστὶν οὐδὲ ἔπαινον φέρει τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντα βίον ἔχοντι. οὐκ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις οὖν, οὐκ ἐπὶ πράξεσιν ἄλλαις ἐπαινεῖται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ κατορθῶσαι ὅλην ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ μεγάλην. δύναται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· τὸ ἐμὸν κατόρθωμα ἔπαινος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μέγας ἐστίν. 50 παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ ἐξομολογήσω σοι 26 τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. αἱ εὐχαὶ ἐπὶ εὐχαριστουμένοις καὶ προγεγονόσιν ἀποδίδονται. λέγεται προσευχὴ ἡ πρὸς θεὸν ἀναπεμπομένη παράκλησις. ὅταν δὲ μετὰ ὁμολογίας ἀναπέμπεται, ὅτι ἐὰν τάδε μοι ὑπάρξῃ, τάδε ἀποδώσω, προσευχή ἐστιν αὕτη δέησις εὐχή ἐστιν. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἔλεγεν· "ἐὰν δῷ μοι ὁ θεὸς ἄρτον φαγεῖν, πάντων, ὅσα ἐὰν δῷ μοι, δεκάτην ἀποδεκατώσω". αὕτη εὐχή ἐστιν. οὐδεὶς προσε̣υ̣ξ̣άμενος περί τινος καὶ μὴ λαβὼν αὐτὸ καιρίως ἐρεῖ· "τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω". ἐπερ · "ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν"; -τοῦτο, ἵνα ὠφεληθῶσιν· μαθήσονται γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἃς εὔχονται ἀποδιδόναι. δύναται δὲ καὶ "ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων", οὐκ ἐπίπροσθεν τῶν θυόντων-οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ θύοντες δύνανται γνῶναι ποία εὐχαριστία