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you were appointed over incorporeal armies and honored with a girdle, as it were, of the mind, and you are a certain fragrance of the all-holy and merciful Trinity that rules over all; but you, O holy Gabriel, were chosen to minister to the mystery of the ineffable economy, as one discreet and faithful; and one to one thing, another to another, without even asking, has been honored with a God-given gift, such as others have not, and such as we have not; but we also, with one that you do not have. For God the Word became an angel not for the sake of the angels who had sinned, but for the sake of men in sin, He became man, unchangeably, unconfusedly, sinlessly, ineffably, as He knows and wished, from the Virgin and according to her flesh and that of all of us He became, remaining what He was and is and will be, one and the same. “For one,” it says, “is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.” And thus, as He ascended from earth to the heavens, He will come a second time, ministered to by myriads of myriads of renowned angelic phalanxes, and He will also judge and act according to His love for mankind. Wherefore, after the churches, also houses of prayer to God, named after your appellation, O well-pleasing pair of archangels, were established not only in the cities, but also privately in narrow streets and houses and fields, adorned with gold and silver or also with ivory. And men go even to places farther than the one that bore them, which have prayer houses set forth as it were like halls of accomplishments, not hesitating to cross even a great sea, if need be, and to complete a journey of many successive days, at times even a difficult one, as though they will experience greater favor concerning the intercession from you, and a sharing in the good things from God of those who strive for what is good. For in His holy churches and prayer houses and martyria, as in other heavens, He has set forth His unfailing good things; and from the things which this same King of kings and Lord of lords has given and daily gives to each, from these things He accepts the bloodless sacrifice offered piously and holily, and He has all the honors from men. And I think that in matters against heretics and concerning theology, even the irrational animals, nay even the stones themselves, join their voices with us in eagerness. For what does love for God not do? Or to what does a true love of the heart yield? For know—and may all be said with God—that I have so acted with you and the saints from our nature interceding, that until this very day no one has managed to bring a suit or accusation against me on behalf of you, our intercessors, who have honor from all according to your measure; nor to summon me by name to a contest and judgment concerning this, although there are those who accuse me of things that are not true; but nor has anyone attempted to convict me of having heard words against God the Word and the Holy Spirit and, perhaps through respect or fear of the speaker, assented and praised what was not good; or of ever having been wholly negligent and in sloth, where it was not fitting, set aside opposing to the best of my ability; on the contrary, many would say, that I have always entered into such matters vigorously and calmly, whether to pay the penalty or to receive it. For I rightly consider it the greatest and eternal gain for myself and for those from me and with us to choose every labor, if it should be necessary, and danger for the sake of the one who made us and saves us, and who has it in His power to judge and show love for mankind for His own sake, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Knowing, then, that you are chosen ministers of the all-holy Trinity, and intercessors for the human race, that nothing is lacking in me of the reverence owed to you, after that which is owed to the cause and life-giver of all, towards those who plead my case with this Trinity who supplies wise thoughts and expressions pleasing to herself and beneficial to us; then also to you; and so much “then,” as it is proper to mention fittingly the created nature after the uncreated, having put them in order; supplicate especially for me and for those from me and with me and for all, for of this

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ἀσωμάτων στρατιῶν προεχειρίσθης καὶ ζώνῃ οἷον νοερᾷ ἐτιμήθης, καὶ εὐωδία τις τῆς πάντων δεσποζούσης παναγοῦς καὶ οἰκτίρμονος τριάδος ὑπάρχεις· σὺ δέ, ὦ ἅγιε Γαβριήλ, διακονήσασθαι τῷ μυστηρίῳ τῆς ἀφράστου οἰκονομίας, ὡς ἐχέμυθος καὶ πιστός, ἐξελέγης· ἄλλος δὲ ἄλλῳ, οὐδὲ αἰτήσας, θεοσδότῳ χαρίσματι τετίμηται, οἵῳ μὴ καὶ ἕτεροι, καὶ οἵῳ μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς, οἵῳ μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς. ὁ γὰρ θεὸς λόγος οὐ διὰ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας ἀγγέλους ἄγγελος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀνθρώπους ἄνθρωπος, ἀτρέπτως, ἀσυγχύτως, ἀναμαρτήτως, ἀφράστως, ὡς οἶδεν καὶ ἠβουλήθη, ἐκ τῆς παρθένου καὶ κατὰ τὴν σάρκα αὐτῆς καὶ πάντων ἡμῶν ἐγένετο, μείνας ὃ ἦν καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ἔσται, εἷς καὶ αὐτός. «εἷς γάρ», φησίν, «ἅγιος, εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δό ξαν θεοῦ πατρός.» καὶ οὕτως, ὡς ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνέβη, ἥξει τὸ δεύτερον, διακονουμένων αὐτῷ ἀγγελικῶν εὐδοκίμων φαλάγγων μυρίων μυριάδων, καὶ ἔτι καὶ κρινεῖ καὶ ποιήσει κατὰ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ. διὸ μετὰ τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ οἶκοι εὐκτήριοι τῷ θεῷ τῆς προσηγορίας ὑμῶν ἐπώνυμοι, ὦ εὐάρεστος ξυνωρὶς ἀρχαγγέλων, οὐκ ἐν μόναις ταῖς πόλεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ στενωποῖς ἰδίᾳ καὶ οἰκίαις καὶ ἀγροῖς ἱδρύνθησαν, χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἢ καὶ ἐλέφαντι κοσμηθέντες· ἴασίν τε οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀπωτέρω τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης αὐτοὺς χωρία τὰ ἔχοντα οἷον ὡς πρυτανεῖα ἐπιτευγμάτων τὰ εὐκτήρια προβεβλημένα, οὐκ ὀκνοῦντες καὶ πέλαγος διαλαβεῖν, ἢ δέοι, μακρόν, καὶ πολλῶν ἐφεξῆς ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ ἀργαλέαν ἐξανῦσαι, ὡς πειραθησόμενοι πλείονος εὐνοίας μὲν τῆς περὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἀπὸ ὑμῶν, μετουσίας δὲ τῆς τῶν φιλοτιμουμένων ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὖ ἀγαθῶν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἁγίαις αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίαις καὶ τοῖς εὐκτηρίοις καὶ μαρτυρίοις, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις οὐρανοῖς, τὰ ἀνέκλειπτα αὐτοῦ προὔθηκεν ἀγαθά· καὶ ἀφ' ὧν οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων δέδωκέν τε καὶ ὁσημέραι δίδωσιν ἑκάστοις, ἀπὸ τούτων εὐσεβῶς καὶ ὁσίως προσφερομένην δέχεται ἀναίμακτον θυσίαν, καὶ πάντα ἔχει τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων γέρα. νομίζω δὲ εἰς τὰ κατὰ αἱρετικῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ περὶ θεολογίας, καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ζῶα, μενοῦνγε τοὺς λίθους αὐτούς, τῇ προθυμίᾳ συμφθέγγεσθαι ἡμῖν. τί γὰρ οὐ ποιεῖ ὁ περὶ θεὸν ἔρως; ἢ τίνι παραχωρεῖ φίλτρον ἀληθὲς καρδίας; ἴστε γὰρ σὺν θεῷ δὲ πάντα εἰρήσθω οὕτω μεθ' ὑμῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως γεγονότων ἁγίων πρεσβευόντων πεπραχέναι, ὡς μηδένα πω μέχρι καὶ τήμερον οἷον δίκην τινά μοι καὶ κακηγορίας ἑλέσθαι λαχεῖν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων πρέσβεων τῶν τιμὰς τὰς πρὸς τὸ μέτρον ὑμῶν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐχόντων· μηδὲ ὀνόματι καλέσαι με εἰς ἀγῶνα τὸν περὶ τούτου καὶ κρίσιν, καίτοι εὑρισκομένων τῶν τὰ μὴ ὄντα κατηγορούντων· ἀλλὰ μηδέ τινα πειραθῆναι διελέγξαι με ὡς εἴην λόγους ἀκούσας κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ δι' αἰδῶ τυχὸν ἢ φόβον τοῦ λέγοντος ἐπινεύσας καὶ τὰ μὴ καλὰ ἐπαινέσας· ἢ ὅλως ὀλιγωρήσας ποτὲ καὶ ἐν ῥαθυμίᾳ τῇ οὐκ ἐνδέοντι θέμενος τὸ πρὸς δύναμιν ἀντιτάξασθαι· μενοῦνγε ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου φάναι πολλούς, ὡς ἀεὶ παρῆλθον εὔτονος καὶ ἥμερος εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἢ δώσων δίκην ἢ ληψόμενος. κέρδος γὰρ μέγιστον καὶ αἰώνιον ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν ἡγοῦμαι καλῶς τὸ πάντα πόνον, εἰ δεήσοι, καὶ κίνδυνον ἑλέσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡμᾶς καὶ σώζοντος, καὶ κρῖναι καὶ φιλανθρωπεύσασθαι αὐτοῦ ἕνεκα ἔχοντος, πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος. εἰδότες οὖν, ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ λατρευταὶ μὲν τῆς παναγοῦς τριάδος, πρεσβευταὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπων γένους, μηδὲν μετ' αὐτὴν τὴν πάντων αἴτιον καὶ ζωοποιὸν αἰδοῦς εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐλλελεῖφθαί μοι τῆς ὀφειλομένης εἰς τοὺς συναγορεύοντάς με ταύτῃ τῇ χορηγούσῃ ἐνθυμήσεις καὶ φράσεις σοφὰς αὐτῇ τε ἀρεσκούσας καὶ ἡμᾶς εὐεργετούσας· ἔπειτα καὶ ὑμῖν· καὶ τοσούτῳ «ἔπειτα», ὅσῳ πρέπει μετὰ τὴν ἄκτιστον κτιστῆς εὐπρεπῶς μνημονεύειν φύσεως τάξαντας· ἱκετεύσατε ἰδικῶς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ καὶ σὺν ἐμοὶ καὶ πάντων τούτου γὰρ