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so that he might propitiate the Master on behalf of his pupils, the much-suffering teacher has recourse to the memory of the fathers and with them puts forward his supplication, saying thus: Be merciful to the wickedness of the people, remembering Abraham and Isaac and Jacob your servants, to whom you swore by yourself to multiply their seed as the stars of heaven. 10.16.4 Great was the anger and the wrath inexorable; but the wise and resourceful supplicant, having put on the masks of the saints and through memory cast before God the grey hairs of the old men, extinguished the punishment like a flame, healing the wounds of the maddened sons with fatherly oil. 10.17.1 Leaving the book of Moses, pass over to the books of the Kings. For you will see there a child deemed worthy of forbearance, because he was the offspring of a God-loving father. This is that much-talked-of Solomon; who, since as time went on he was not master of his passions, but rather a slave and a most incontinent lover of the body, and through the carelessness of his life changed his ancestral piety also, fashioning idols, the stumbling blocks of the law; 10.17.2 God says to him: I will surely tear your kingdom apart and I will give it to your servant; yet in your days I will not do these things, for the sake of David your father; from the hand of your son I will take it. History teaches us these things; the ode of the psalms also teaches similar things: I was young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. 10.18.1 But, as it seems, whenever a soul has once grown insolent against the truth and has astonishingly preferred to innovate instead of living in order, nothing is sufficient to turn it back to the straight and ordered way; but biting the bridle like some unruly colt, it is carried toward the abyss, overcoming the rider, the mind, by its impulse toward wickedness, just as indeed one can see these Eunomians. 10.18.2 For so they love to be called rather than men of Christ, blaspheming God, dishonoring the men of God, and turning away from the resting places of the saints more than sensible men do from altars and profane and polluted places. But it was necessary for the practitioners of that madness, who consider audacity against all things a virtue, to at least respect the voices of the demons crying out and shouting clearly the power of the martyrs and calling each one by name as present and driving out and putting to flight from the tyrannized men. 10.18.3 And whether one wishes that the spirits of the athletes of piety work against the unclean spirits, or angels in honor of the departed sit beside the holy shrines, it makes no difference; for whichever is said, it is the glory of those who have suffered for the love of Christ. But the benefactions of the martyrs are shown clearly every day, different at different times and in different ways, which free the frenzied from satanic workings. For those who bark and were once held by the unspeakable evils of madness are now seen being sensible, and we see the boldness of the intercession of the saints witnessed by the events themselves. 10.18.4 And just as indubitable proofs of the power of our Savior went about among the Hebrews, both those cleansed of leprosy and the blind healed in their sight and any paralytic who, strengthened in the joints of his limbs, walked without hindrance, so also now those who have borne the cross for the sake of the Crucified provide clear demonstrations of the grace from the Master, healing the faithful of their fellow servants in various and different ways. 10.18.5 And Paul and Peter, the one having driven out the demon of Python, the other having raised the lame man from the forecourts of the temple, by practical powers turned Hebrews and Greeks to the obedience of the gospel; but the wicked company of heretics that now wickedly disturbs our

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ὅπως ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐξιλεώσηται τὸν ∆εσπότην, ὁ παιδαγωγὸς ὁ πολύμοχθος καταφεύγει πρὸς τὴν μνήμην τῶν πατέρων καὶ μετ' ἐκείνων τὴν ἰκετηρίαν προβάλλεται, φησὶν δὲ οὕτως· Ἵλεως γενοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ μνησθεὶς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ τῶν σῶνἱκετῶν, οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ πληθῦναι τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. 10.16.4 Μεγάλη ἡ ὀργὴ καὶ ὁ θυμὸς ἀπαραίτητος· ἀλλ' ὁ σοφὸς καὶ εὐμήχανος ἱκέτης τὰ προσωπεῖα περι θέμενος τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τὰς πολίας τῶν γερόντων διὰ τῆς μνήμης τῷ Θεῷ ὑπορρίψας ἔσβεσεν ὡς φλόγα τὴν τιμωρίαν, πατρικῷ ἐλαίῳ τῶν μανέντων υἱῶν θεραπεύσας τὰ τραύματα. 10.17.1 Καταλιπὼν τὴν Μωσαϊκὴν βίβλον ἐπὶ τὰς βίβλους τῶν Βασιλέων μετάβηθι. Ὄψει γὰρ κἀκεῖ παῖδα φειδοῦς ἀξιούμενον, διότι γέννημα ἦν φιλοθέου πατρός. Σολομὼν δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ πολυθρύλητος· ὅς, ἐπειδὴ προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου οὐκ ἦν τῶν παθῶν αὐτοκράτωρ, δοῦλος δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀκρατέστερος σωμεραστής, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀπροσεξίαν τοῦ βίου μετέβαλεν καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν εὐσέβειαν, εἴδωλα μορφώσας τὰ τοῦ νόμου προσκόμματα· 10.17.2 φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός· ∆ιαρρήσων διαρρήξω τὴν βασιλείαν σου καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν τῷ δούλῳ σου· πλὴν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου οὐ ποιήσω ταῦτα διὰ ∆αβὶδ τὸν πατέρα σου· ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου λήψομαι αὐτήν. Ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία παιδεύει· διδάσκει καὶ ἡ ᾠδὴ τῶν ψαλμῶν τὰ ὅμοια· Νεώτερος ἤμην· καὶ γὰρ ἐγήρασα καὶ οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐγκαταλελειμμένον οὐδὲ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ζητοῦν ἄρτους. 10.18.1 Ἀλλ', ᾗ ἔοικεν, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ψυχὴ τῆς ἀληθείας καταθρασύνηται καὶ τὸ καινοτομεῖν ἐκπλήκτως ἀντὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐν τάξει προέληται, οὐδὲν αὐτὴν ἐπιστρέφειν ἱκανὸν εἰς τὴν εὐθεῖαν καὶ τεταγμένην ὁδόν· ἐνδακοῦσα δὲ τὸν χαλινὸν ὥσπερ τις πῶλος δυσήνιος φέρεται πρὸς τὸ βάραθρον νικῶσα τὸν ἀναβάτην νοῦν τῇ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ὁρμῇ, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τοὺς Εὐνομιανοὺς τούτους ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. 10.18.2 Οὕτως γὰρ φιλοῦσι καλεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἄνθρωποι, Θεὸν βλασφημοῦντες, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀτιμάζοντες, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐντρεπόμενοι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπαύσεις ἢ οἱ σωφρονοῦντες τοὺς βωμοὺς καὶ τοὺς βεβήλους καὶ τοὺς μεμιασμένους τῶν τόπων. Ἐχρῆν δὲ τοὺς τῆς ἀπονοίας ἐκείνης ἀσκητὰς καὶ τὸ κατὰ πάντων θράσος ἀρετὴν νομίζοντας τὰς γοῦν τῶν δαιμόνων αἰδεσθῆναι φωνὰς κραζόντων καὶ βοώντων λαμπρῶς τῶν μαρτύρων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ὀνόμασι καλούντων ἕκαστον ὡς παρεστῶτα καὶ ἀπελαύνοντα καὶ φυγα δεύοντα τῶν τυραννουμένων ἀνθρώπων. 10.18.3 Εἴτε δὲ τὰ πνεύματα τῶν ἀθλητῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐθέλοι τις ἐνεργεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων εἴτε ἀγγέλους εἰς τιμὴν τῶν ἀναπεπαυμένων παρεδρεύοντας τοῖς ἁγίοις σηκοῖς, οὐδὲν διαφέρει· ὁπότερον γὰρ ἂν λέγηται, δόξα τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης ἐστὶ παθόντων. Πρόδηλον δὲ φαίνονται καθ' ἡμέραν αἱ τῶν μαρτύρων εὐεργεσίαι, ἄλλοτε ἄλλαι καὶ διαφερόντως, αἳ τῶν σατανικῶν ἐνεργημάτων ἐλευθεροῦσι τοὺς παραφόρους. Οἱ γὰρ ὑλακτοῦντες καὶ τοῖς ἀδιηγήτοις τῆς μανίας ποτὲ κακοῖς ἐνεχόμενοι νῦν σωφρονοῦντες ὁρῶνται καὶ τῆς πρεσβείας τῶν ἁγίων τὴν παρρησίαν παρ' αὐτῶν βλέπομεν τῶν πραγμάτων μαρτυρουμένην. 10.18.4 Καὶ ὥσπερ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δυνάμεως ἀναμφίβολα δείγματα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν Ἑβραίων περιενόστουν, οἵ τε τῆς λέπρας ἀποξεσθέντες καὶ οἱ τὰς ὄψεις ἰαθέντες τυφλοὶ καὶ εἴ τις παραλυτικὸς τὰς τῶν μελῶν ἁρμονίας δυναμωθεὶς ἀκωλύτως ἐβάδιζεν, οὕτως καὶ νῦν οἱ τὸν σταυρὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος βαστάσαντες τῆς παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου χάριτος ἐναργεῖς τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρέχονται, ποικίλως καὶ διαφόρως τοὺς πιστοὺς τῶν ὁμοδούλων ἰώμενοι. 10.18.5 Καὶ Παῦλος μὲν καὶ Πέτρος, ὁ μὲν διώξας τὸ τοῦ Πύθωνος δαιμόνιον, ὁ δὲ τὸν χωλὸν ἀναστήσας τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ προπυλαίων, ἐκ πρακτικῶν δυνάμεων Ἑβραίους καὶ Ἕλληνας πρὸς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐπέστρεψαν· αἱρετικῶν δὲ πονηρὸν σύνταγμα τὸ νῦν κακῶς διοχλοῦν τὴν ἡμετέραν