102

into his power, permitting to become in him. For this the law of love dictates, and the mystery of God’s most divine visitation to men through the flesh wills it; so that he might return with God, recounting the benefactions of my blessed master and the unfeigned zeal of his assistance towards him; and I shall receive an addition of boasting, having been allotted by God to have such a master on earth, zealous for every good work, and a ready and most sincere champion of all who are in need.

God, the only good and lover of mankind; who for the sake of our salvation manages all things for all people for salvation, may He Himself take hold of your right hand, my master, and guide you into the path of His righteousness, and deem you worthy of the heavenly kingdom, having partaken well of the divine gifts here. May the God of all and our Lord Jesus Christ preserve our most pious and all-gracious emperors, and may he strengthen the power of their pious reign, and may he speak good and peaceful things into their hearts concerning us their humble servants. And that I may say something boldly; for to be in pain makes me bold; yet may he grant even this to them as a prayer dear to God, that the all-praised prefect of this country, shining like a lamp in a dry place, and in a certain way freeing all from the pain of not seeing, they have deigned to send for him, even for a moment; a man who is a lover of God, faithful, pious, good, devout, temperate, self-controlled, patient, meek, compassionate, merciful, a nourisher of the poor, a carer for the aged, a champion of widows, a guardian of monks, possessionless [harmless], a lover of the church; and, to speak concisely (15Β_444> a friend of all, both the living and the dead; caring for the living in all sorts of ways of affection; and honoring the dead with the beauty of buildings for their burial, as Joseph of Arimathea did for the Lord who deigned to be put to death in the flesh for our sake; and in addition to these things, a most zealous advocate of the true doctrine according to the apostolic faith, a herald of a life of righteousness. 0648 And to speak briefly, while for others other things on earth have been pursued according to each one's desire; for Georgios, however, the hospitals, and the homes for the aged and hostels for strangers and poor-houses, and the monasteries and cemeteries for strangers, and to care for and to nourish as many multitudes of the destitute and poor of every kind as are scattered in flocks throughout the cities; and to cross the borders of the eastern and western, the northern and southern climes with the rays of his philanthropy, is his work and his zealous pursuit.

These things being so, who of those who in any way lay claim to piety is ignorant, how much goodwill of God towards all the pleasingness of such works was summoning, flourishing always by his inherent zeal? As for the contrary, what happens by the idleness of these things I will pass over in silence because of its ill-omened nature. And who will be able to measure the tears poured forth like a spring from every eye of those inhabiting this land at his departure, with everyone clinging to him and forcibly pulling him back to them, and in a way not permitting him to board the ship; and beseeching with wails, as if seeking according to kind and age: some, the provider for poverty; others, the manager of wealth; the widows, their champion; the orphans, their father; the poor, the lover of the poor, and the strangers, the lover of strangers; and brothers, the lover of brothers; the sick, the physician; those in misfortunes, their comfort; old age, its staff; and simply all, the one who became all things (15Β_446> to all, that he might win all, and on behalf of all be won for God? Therefore, according to the grace given to you by God, my blessed master, through the ways and persons you know, if you might be able to make him return again, know that you offer a great sacrifice to God, and to our God-supported emperors

102

εἰς τήν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, εἰς αὐτόν γενέσθαι συγχωρῶν. Τοῦτο γάρ τῆς ἀγάπης ὁ νόμος ὑπαγορεύει, καί τό μυστήριον τῆς πρός ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Θεοῦ διά σαρκός βούλεται θειοτάτης ἐπιδημίας· ἵνα τάς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ εὐλογημένου μου δεσπότου καί τήν ἀνόθευτον σπουδήν τῆς εἰς αὐτόν ἀντιλήψεως ἐπανέλθοι σύν Θεῷ διηγούμενος· κἀγώ προσθήκην δέξομαι καυχήματος, τοιοῦτον ἔχειν παρά Θεοῦ λαχών ἐπί γῆς δεσπότην πρόθυμον εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν, καί πάντων τῶν δεομένων προστάτην ἕτοιμόν τε καί εἰλικρινέστατον.

Ὁ Θεός ὁ μόνος ἀγαθός καί φιλάνθρωπος· ὁ τῆς ἡμῶν ἕνεκεν σωτηρίας πάντα πᾶσι σωτηρίως οἰκονομῶν, αὐτός κρατήσαι τῆς χειρός σου τῆς δεξιᾶς, δέσποτά μου, καί ὁδηγήσαι δε εἰς τήν ὁδόν τῆς αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνης, καί ἀξιώσαι τῆς ἐπουρανίου βασιλείας καλῶς ἐνταῦθα τῶν θείων μεταποιηθέντα χαρισμάτων. Ὁ Θεός τῶν ὅλων καί Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός διατηρήσοι τούς εὐσεβεστάτους καί πανημέρους ἡμῶν βασιλέας, καί δυναμώσοι τό κράτος τῆς εὐσεβοῦς αὐτῶν βασιλείας, καί λαλήσοι περί ἡμῶν τῶν ταπεινῶν δούλων αὐτῶν εἰς τάς καρδίας αὐτῶν ἀγαθά τε καί εἰρηνικά. Καί ἵν᾿ εἴπω τι τολμήσας· ποιεῖ γάρ με τολμηρόν τό ἀλγεῖν· πλήν καί αὐτό εὐχήν τῷ Θεῷ προσφιλῆ συγχωρήσοι αὐτοῖς, ὅτι τόν τῆς χώρας ταύτης πανεύφημον ὕπαρχον ὡς λύχνον ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ φαίνοντα, καί πάντας τρόπον τινά τῆς τοῦ μή βλέπειν ὀδύνης ἐλευθεροῦντα, κατεδέξαντο κἄν πρός ῥοπήν μεταστείλασθαι· ἄνθρωπον φιλόθεον, πιστόν, εὐσεβῆ, ἀγαθόν, εὐλαβῆ, σώφρονα, ἐγκρατῆ, ἀνεκτικόν, πρᾶον, συμπαθῆ, ἐλεήμονα, πτωχοτρόφον, γηρωκόμον, προστάτην χηρῶν, μοναχῶν κηδεμόνα, ἀκτήμονα [ἀπήμονα], φιλεκκλήσιον· καί ἵνα συνελών (15Β_444> εἴπω, πάντων καί ζώντων καί νεκρῶν φίλον· τούς μέν ζῶντας παντοίοις τρόποις φιλοστοργίας περιποιούμενον· τούς δέ νεκρούς, οἰκοδομημάτων κάλλεσι τιμῶν τά πρός ταφήν, ὡς Ἰωσήφ ὁ ἀπό Ἀριμαθίας τόν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν σαρκί νεκρωθῆναι καταδεξάμενον Κύριον· καί ἔτι πρός τούτοις, τοῦ κατά τήν ἀποστολικήν πίστιν ὀρθοῦ λόγου ζηλωτήν ἐκθυμώτατον, κήρυκα βίου δικαιοσύνης. 0648 Καί συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ἄλλοις μέν ἄλλα κατά τήν ἑκάστου ἔφεσιν ἐπί γῆς διεσπούδασται· Γεωργίου δέ, τά νοσοκομεῖα, καί τά γηρωκομεῖα καί ξενοκομεῖα καί πτωχοτροφεῖα, καί τά μοναστήρια καί τά ξενοτάφια, καί ὅσα πλήθη φτωχῶν τε καί πενήτων κατά γένος ἀγεληδόν κατά τάς πόλεις διέῤῥιπται, περιστεῖλαί τε καί διαθρέψαι· καί ἑῴας τε καί δύσεως, βορείου τε καί νοτίου λήξεως τούς ὅρους ὑπερβῆναι ταῖς ἀκτῖσι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ἔργον ὑπάρχει καί σπούδασμα.

Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, τίς ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ὁπωσοῦν εὐσεβείας μεταποιουμένων, πόσην εὐμένειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ περί τό πᾶν ἡ τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων εὐαρέστησις προσεκαλεῖτο, διά παντός ταῖς αὐτοῦ προσόν προθυμίαις ἀκμάζουσα; Τό καί ἐναντίον, τῇ τούτων ἀργίᾳ συμβαῖνον διά τό δύσφημον σιωπήσομαι. Τίς δέ μετρῆσαι δυνήσεται τά κρουνηδόν παρά παντός ὀφθαλμοῦ χεθέντα δάκρυα παρά τῶν ταύτην οἰκούντων τήν γῆς ἐπί τῇ ἐξόδῳ αὐτοῦ, πάντων περιεχομένων αὐτοῦ καί ἀνθελκόντων βίᾳ πρός αὐτούς, καί τῷ πλοίῳ τρόπον τινά προσβῆναι μή συγχωρούντων· καί ταῖς οἰμωγαῖς ποτνιωμένων, οἱονεί ζητούντων κατά γένος καί ἡλικίαν· οἱ μέν, τῆς πενίας τόν ποριστήν· οἱ δέ, τῆς εὐπορίας τόν οἰκονόμον· αἱ χῆραι, τόν προστάτην· οἱ ὀρφανοί τόν πατέρα· οἱ πτωχοί, τόν φιλόπτωχον, καί τόν φιλόξενον οἱ ξένοι· καί ἀδελφοί, τόν φιλάδελφον· οἱ νοσοῦντες, τόν ἰατρόν· οἱ ἐν συμφοραῖς, τήν παράκλησιν· πολιά, τήν βακτηρίαν· καί ἁπλῶς πάντες, τόν πάντα (15Β_446> πᾶσι γενόμενον, ἵνα κερδίσῃ τούς πάντας, καί ὑπέρ πάντων τῷ Θεῷ κερδηθῇ; ∆ιό κατά τήν δοθεῖσάν σοι χάριν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, δέσποτά μου εὐλογημένε, δι᾿ ὧν οἶδας τρόπων τε καί προσώπων, εἰ δυνηθείης αὐτόν πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν ποιῆσαι, μεγάλην θυσίαν γίνωσκε τῷ Θεῷ, καί τοῖς θεοστηρίκτοις ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσιν