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We do not worship towards the east simply or just by chance, but since we are composed of a nature both visible and invisible, that is, intellectual and sensible, we offer a twofold worship to the Creator, just as we sing psalms with our mind and with our bodily lips, and are baptized with water and spirit, and are united twofold to the Lord, partaking of the mysteries and of the grace of the spirit. Since, therefore, "God is" intellectual "light," and Christ is named in the scriptures "Sun of righteousness" and "the East," the east must be dedicated to Him for worship; for every good thing must be dedicated to God, from whom every good thing is made good. And the divine David says: "Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, sing psalms to the Lord who has mounted upon the heaven of heaven towards the east." Furthermore the scripture says: "God planted a paradise in Eden towards the east; there He placed the man whom He had formed," whom, having transgressed, He exiled from the paradise of delight and made him dwell opposite the paradise, that is, in the west. Therefore, seeking our ancient homeland and gazing towards it, we worship God. And the tent of Moses had its veil and mercy-seat towards the east. And the tribe of Judah, as the more honorable, pitched its camp on the east. And in the renowned temple of Solomon the gate of the Lord was situated towards the east. But indeed the Lord, when being crucified, was looking towards the west, and so we worship, gazing towards Him. And being taken up, He was borne up towards the east, and thus the apostles worshiped Him, and thus He will come, in the same way they saw Him going into heaven, as the Lord Himself said: "As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Therefore, awaiting Him, we worship towards the east. This tradition of the apostles is unwritten; for they handed down many things to us unwritten. 86 Concerning the holy and undefiled mysteries of the Lord The good and all-good and exceedingly good God, who is wholly goodness, on account of the surpassing richness of His goodness did not endure that the good, that is His own nature, be alone, unpartaken of by anything. For this reason He made first the intellectual and heavenly powers, then the visible and sensible world, then, out of the intellectual and sensible, man. All things, therefore, that have come to be from Him participate in His goodness according to their being (for He is being for all things, since in Him are the things that exist, not only because He brought them from non-being into being, but because His energy preserves and holds together the things that came to be from Him), and living things in a greater measure (for they participate in the good both according to their being and according to their participation in life), and rational beings according to the aforesaid, but also according to their rationality, and these even more so; for they are in a way more kindred to Him, even though He incomparably transcends all things. Man, however, having become rational and self-determining, received the power to be united unceasingly to God through his own choice, if indeed he abides in the good, that is, in obedience to the Creator. Since, therefore, he fell into transgression of the commandment of Him who made him and fell under death and corruption, the Maker and Creator of our race, through the bowels of His mercy, was made like us in all things, becoming man without sin, and was united to our nature; for since He had imparted to us His own image and His own spirit and we did not keep it, He Himself partakes of our poor and weak nature, in order that He might cleanse us and make us incorruptible and establish us again as partakers of His own divinity. But it was necessary not only that the first-fruits of our nature should come to partake of the better, but also that every man who wishes should be born a second birth and be nourished with a strange food suitable to the birth and thus attain the measure of perfection. Through His own birth, that is, incarnation, and baptism, and passion, and of the

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ἁπλῶς οὐδ' ὡς ἔτυχε κατὰ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐξ ὁρατῆς τε καὶ ἀοράτου ἤτοι νοητῆς καὶ αἰσθητῆς συντεθείμεθα φύσεως, διπλῆν καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν τῷ δημιουργῷ προσάγομεν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ νῷ ψάλλομεν καὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς χείλεσι καὶ βαπτιζόμεθα ὕδατί τε καὶ πνεύματι καὶ διπλῶς τῷ κυρίῳ ἑνούμεθα τῶν μυστηρίων μετέχοντες καὶ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτος. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν «ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι» νοητόν, καὶ «ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «ἀνατολὴ» ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ὠνόμασται ὁ Χριστός, ἀναθετέον αὐτῷ τὴν ἀνατολὴν εἰς προσκύνησιν· πᾶν γὰρ καλὸν τῷ θεῷ ἀναθετέον, ἐξ οὗ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθύνεται. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ∆αυίδ· «Αἱ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς, ᾄσατε τῷ θεῷ, ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ ἀνατολάς». Ἔτι δέ φησιν ἡ γραφή· «Ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολάς· ἔνθα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασεν, ἔθετο», ὃν παραβάντα τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν, ἐκ δυσμῶν δηλαδή. Τὴν οὖν ἀρχαίαν πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦντες καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀτενίζοντες τῷ θεῷ προσκυνοῦμεν. Καὶ ἡ σκηνὴ δὲ ἡ Μωσαϊκὴ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς εἶχε τὸ καταπέτασμα καὶ τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Καὶ ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ Ἰούδα ὡς τιμιωτέρα ἐξ ἀνατολῶν παρενέβαλε. Καὶ ἐν τῷ περιωνύμῳ δὲ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ναῷ ἡ τοῦ κυρίου πύλη κατὰ ἀνατολὰς διέκειτο. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ κύριος σταυρούμενος ἐπὶ δυσμὰς ἑώρα, καὶ οὕτω προσκυνοῦμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντες. Καὶ ἀναλαμβα νόμενος πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἀνεφέρετο, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ οἱ ἀπόστολοι προσεκύνησαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσαντο αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἔφησεν· «Ὥσπερ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ φθάνει ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου». Αὐτὸν οὖν ἐκδεχόμενοι ἐπὶ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν. Ἄγραφος δέ ἐστιν ἡ παράδοσις αὕτη τῶν ἀποστόλων· πολλὰ γὰρ ἀγράφως ἡμῖν παρέδωκαν. 86 Περὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἀχράντων τοῦ κυρίου μυστηρίων Ὁ ἀγαθὸς καὶ πανάγαθος καὶ ὑπεράγαθος θεός, ὁ ὅλος ὢν ἀγαθότης, διὰ τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος οὐκ ἠνέσχετο μόνον εἶναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἤτοι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν ὑπὸ μηδενὸς μετεχόμενον. Τούτου χάριν ἐποίησε πρῶτον μὲν τὰς νοερὰς καὶ οὐρανίους δυνάμεις, εἶτα τὸν ὁρατὸν καὶ αἰσθητὸν κόσμον, εἶτα ἐκ νοεροῦ καὶ αἰσθητοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Πάντα μὲν οὖν τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενα κοινωνοῦσι τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος κατὰ τὸ εἶναι (αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι τοῖς πᾶσι τὸ εἶναι, ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰσι τὰ ὄντα, οὐ μόνον ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὰ παρήγαγεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐνέργεια τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενα συντηρεῖ καὶ συνέχει), ἐκ περισσοῦ δὲ τὰ ζῷα (κατά τε γὰρ τὸ εἶναι καὶ κατὰ τὸ ζωῆς μετέχειν κοινωνοῦσι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ), τὰ δὲ λογικὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα μέν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ λογικόν, καὶ ταῦτα μᾶλλον· οἰκειότερα γάρ πώς εἰσι πρὸς αὐτόν, εἰ καὶ πάντων ὑπέρκειται ἀσυγκρίτως. Ὁ μέντοι ἄνθρωπος λογικὸς καὶ αὐτεξούσιος γενόμενος ἐξουσίαν εἴληφεν ἀδιαλείπτως διὰ τῆς οἰκείας προαιρέσεως ἑνοῦσθαι τῷ θεῷ, εἴ γε διαμένει ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ, τουτέστι τῇ τοῦ κτίσαντος ὑπακοῇ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐν παραβάσει τῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν ἐντολῆς γέγονε καὶ θανάτῳ καὶ φθορᾷ ὑποπέπτωκεν, ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργὸς τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν διὰ σπλάγχνα ἐλέους αὐτοῦ ὡμοιώθη ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἡνώθη τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ φύσει· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετέδωκεν ἡμῖν τῆς ἰδίας εἰκόνος καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου πνεύματος καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν, μεταλαμβάνει αὐτὸς τῆς πτωχῆς καὶ ἀσθενοῦς ἡμῶν φύσεως, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καθάρῃ καὶ ἀφθαρτίσῃ καὶ μετόχους πάλιν τῆς αὑτοῦ καταστήσῃ θεότητος. Ἔδει δὲ μὴ μόνον τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως ἐν μετοχῇ γενέσθαι τοῦ κρείττονος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὸν βουλόμενον ἄνθρωπον καὶ δευτέραν γέννησιν γεννηθῆναι καὶ τραφῆναι τροφὴν ξένην καὶ τῇ γεννήσει πρόσφορον καὶ οὕτω φθάσαι τὸ μέτρον τῆς τελειότητος. ∆ιὰ μὲν τῆς αὑτοῦ γεννήσεως ἤτοι σαρκώσεως καὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καὶ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τῆς