[The Form of Prayer for the Faithful.]

XI. O Lord Almighty, the Most High, who dwellest on high, the Holy One, that restest among the saints, without beginning, the Only Potentate, who hast given to us by Christ the preaching of knowledge, to the acknowledgment of Thy glory and of Thy name, which He has made known to us, for our comprehension, do Thou now also look down through Him upon this Thy flock, and deliver it from all ignorance and wicked practice, and grant that we may fear Thee in earnest, and love Thee with affection, and have a due reverence of Thy glory. Be gracious and merciful to them, and hearken to them when they pray unto Thee; and keep them, that they may be unmoveable, unblameable, and unreprovable, that they may be holy in body and spirit, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that they may be complete, and none of them may be defective or imperfect. O our support, our powerful God, who dost not accept persons, be Thou the assister of this Thy people,  79  The V. mss. insert, “whom Thou hast selected out of myriads.” which Thou hast redeemed with the precious blood of Thy Christ; be Thou their protector, aider, provider, and guardian, their strong wall of defence, their bulwark and security. For “none can snatch out of Thy hand:”  80  John x. 29. for there is no other God like Thee; for on Thee is our reliance. “Sanctify them by Thy truth: for Thy word is truth.”  81  John xvii. 17. Thou who dost nothing for favour, Thou whom none can deceive, deliver them from every sickness, and every disease, and every offence, every injury and deceit, “from fear of the enemy, from the dart that flieth in the day, from the mischief that walketh about in darkness;”  82  Ps. lxiv. 1; xci. 5, 6. and vouchsafe them that everlasting life which is in Christ Thy only begotten Son, our God and Saviour, through whom glory and worship be to Thee, in the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen. And after this let the deacon say, Let us attend. And let the bishop salute the church, and say, The peace of God be with you all. And let the people answer, And with thy spirit; and  let the deacon say to all, Salute ye one another with the holy kiss. And let the clergy salute the bishop, the men of the laity salute the men, the women the women. And let the children stand at the reading-desk; and let another deacon stand by them, that they may not be  disorderly.  83  The meaning in Coptic seems to be uncertain.  And let other deacons walk about and watch the men and women, that no tumult may be made, and that no one nod, or whisper, or slumber; and let  the deacons  84  The Coptic reads, “sub-deacons.”  stand at the doors of the men, and the sub-  deacons at those of the women, that no one go out, nor a door be opened, although it be for one of the faithful, at the time of the oblation. But let one of the sub-deacons bring water to wash the hands of the priests, which is a symbol of the purity of those souls that are devoted to God  .

[11] Ἐπευχέσθω οὖν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ λεγέτω. Κύριε παντοκράτορ, ὕψιστε ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, ἅγιε ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενε, ἄναρχε, μόναρχε, ὁ διὰ Χριστοῦ κήρυγμα γνώσεως δοὺς ἡμῖν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς σῆς δόξης καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου οὗ ἐφανέρωσεν ἡμῖν εἰς κατάληψιν: αὐτὸς καὶ νῦν ἔπιδε δι' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ ποίμνιόν σου τοῦτο καὶ λύτρωσαι αὐτὸ πάσης ἀγνοίας καὶ πονηρᾶς πράξεως, καὶ δὸς φόβῳ φοβεῖσθαί σε καὶ ἀγάπῃ ἀγαπᾶν σε καὶ στέλλεσθαι ἀπὸ προσώπου δόξης σου. Εὐμενὴς αὐτοῖς γενοῦ καὶ ἵλεως καὶ ἐπήκοος ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ φύλαξον αὐτοὺς ἀτρέπτους, ἀμέμπτους, ἀνεγκλήτους, ἵνα ὦσιν ἅγιοι σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ, μὴ ἔχοντες σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὦσιν ἄρτιοι καὶ μηδεὶς ἐν αὐτοῖς ᾖ κολοβὸς ἢ ἀτελής. Ἀρωγὲ δυνατὲ ἀπροσωπόληπτε, γενοῦ ἀντιλήπτωρ τοῦ λαοῦ σου τούτου, ὃν ἐξελέξω ἐκ μυριάδων, ὃν ἐξηγόρασας τῷ τιμίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου αἵματι, προστάτης, ἐπίκουρος, ταμίας, φύλαξ, τεῖχος ἐρυμνότατον, φραγμὸς ἀσφαλείας, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς σῆς χειρὸς οὐδεὶς ἁρπάσαι δύναται: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστι Θεὸς ὥσπερ σὺ ἕτερος, ὅτι ἐν σοὶ ἡ ὑπομονὴ ἡμῶν. Ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου, ὅτι ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀλήθειά ἐστιν, ἀπροσχάριστε, ἀπαραλόγιστε: ῥῦσαι αὐτοὺς πάσης νόσου καὶ πάσης μαλακίας, παντὸς παραπτώματος, πάσης ἐπηρείας καὶ ἀπάτης, ἀπὸ φόβου ἐχθροῦ, ἀπὸ βέλους πετομένου ἡμέρας, ἀπὸ πράγματος ἐν σκότει διαπορευομένου: καὶ καταξίωσον αὐτοὺς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ σου, τῷ Υἱῷ σου τῷ μονογενεῖ, τῷ Θεῷ καὶ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ σοι δόξα καὶ σέβας ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων: ἀμήν. Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο λεγέτω ὁ διάκονος: Πρόσχωμεν. Καὶ ἀσπαζέσθω ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ λεγέτω: Ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἀποκρινάσθω: Καὶ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματός σου. Καὶ ὁ διάκονος εἰπάτω πᾶσιν: Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ. Καὶ ἀσπαζέσθωσαν οἱ τοῦ κλήρου τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, οἱ λαϊκοὶ ἄνδρες τοὺς λαϊκούς, αἱ γυναῖκες τὰς γυναῖκας. Τὰ παιδία δὲ στηκέτωσαν πρὸς τῷ βήματι, καὶ διάκονος αὐτοῖς ἕτερος ἔστω ἐφεστώς, ὅπως μὴ ἀτακτῶσιν: καὶ ἄλλοι διάκονοι περιπατείτωσαν καὶ σκοπείτωσαν τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας, ὅπως μὴ θόρυβός τις γένηται καὶ μή τις νεύσῃ ἢ ψιθυρίσῃ ἢ νυστάξῃ. Οἱ δὲ ὑποδιάκονοι ἱστάσθωσαν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν θύρας καὶ αἱ διάκονοι εἰς τὰς τῶν γυναικῶν, ὅπως μή τις ἐξέλθοι μήτε ἀνοιχθείη ἡ θύρα, κἂν πιστός τις ᾖ, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀναφορᾶς. Εἷς δὲ ὑποδιάκονος διδότω ἀπόρρυψιν χειρῶν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, σύμβολον καθαρότητος ψυχῶν Θεῷ ἀνακειμένων.