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and he will do greater things than these. And in the Old Testament, one changed the sea, another restrained the sun, another commanded the moon to stay, another turned its rays back on itself; the young men in the furnace fettered the energy of the element, and the raging flame fell silent, and though bound, it hissed. And beasts know to revere the friends of God; even if hunger compels them, they become more philosophical. Let the gluttonous revere the continence of the beasts. Lions saw Daniel, and they became philosophers; we, seeing the Son of God coming to us, do not become philosophers. They chose to perish by hunger, and not to touch the body of the holy man; we, seeing Christ walking about naked and wasting away with hunger, do not even give our surplus, but living in abundance, we neglect the saints. The earth again to another friend of God brought forth so many gifts from its own bosom, such a yield as never before. And why do you wonder, if they themselves were revered, when even their garments and their shadows were terrible to demons, and to death, and to disease? And angels revered men, and honored them exceedingly. For how would they not, whom their own Master honored? And in the Old and in the New [Testament] it is possible to see this. For this reason it says: According to thy height thou hast multiplied the sons of men. Therefore, understanding the greatness of the honor, let us render a worthy return for it, lest the excess of honor become for us a provision for punishment; from which may we all be delivered, both those who teach these things and those who learn, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due all glory, honor, and worship, unto the ages of ages. Amen. ON THE 12TH PSALM. For the end, a psalm of David. Another, A song of victory of David. Another, For victory. How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me for ever? Another, You forget me completely. How long wilt thou turn away thy face from me? Another, You hide. How long shall I take counsels in my soul, Another, I shall set purposes. sorrows in my heart day and night. Another, Care in my mind every day. 1. This too is no small good, to have a perception of God's forgetfulness. But do not think forgetfulness is an emotion, but abandonment. For many, having suffered this, do not even know this very thing, nor do they grieve; but this blessed one not only knew it, but also considered the time. For, "How long," indicates that the time is long; for this reason he both grieves and laments. But consider for me how he nowhere grieves on account of anything of this life, not for money, not for glory, but everywhere for goodwill. And whence, he says, did he know that God had forgotten him? Because he knew when He remembered, and clearly understood what was forgetfulness, and what was remembrance; not as the many among men, when they are rich, when they are esteemed by men, when all things flow smoothly for them, when they prevail over their enemies, then they think that God remembers them; for this reason they do not even know when He forgets them. For those who do not know the sign of remembrance, do not understand that of forgetfulness either. For if they do not understand the symbols of friendship, they do not know those of enmity either. For God forgets many of those who have these things, and especially these; but of those 55.150 who are in opposite circumstances He often remembers. For nothing so creates remembrance with God as doing something good, being sober, being watchful, caring for virtue; just as, therefore, nothing

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καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς ὁ μὲν τὴν θάλασσαν μετέβαλεν, ὁ δὲ τὸν ἥλιον ἐχαλίνου, ὁ δὲ τὴν σελήνην μένειν ἐκέλευσεν, ὁ δὲ πάλιν εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀπέστρεφεν· οἱ δὲ παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τοῦ στοιχείου τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐπέδησαν, καὶ μαινομένη ἡ φλὸξ ἐσίγα, καὶ δεδεμένη ἐσύριζεν. Οἶδε καὶ θηρία αἰδεῖσθαι Θεοῦ φίλους· κἂν λιμὸς ἀναγκάζῃ, φιλοσοφώτερα γίνεται. Αἰδείσθωσαν οἱ γαστρίμαργοι τὴν ἐγκράτειαν τῶν θηρίων. Λέοντες εἶδον τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ ἐφιλοσόφησαν· ἡμεῖς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ βλέποντες ἐρχόμενον πρὸς ἡμᾶς, οὐ φιλοσοφοῦμεν. Εἵλοντο ἐκεῖνοι διαφθαρῆναι λιμῷ, καὶ μὴ ἅψασθαι τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἁγίου· ἡμεῖς ὁρῶντες γυμνὸν τὸν Χριστὸν περιερχόμενον καὶ λιμῷ τηκόμε 55.149 νον, οὐδὲ τὰ περιττὰ προϊέμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐν περιουσίᾳ ζῶντες, περιορῶμεν τοὺς ἁγίους. Ἡ γῆ πάλιν ἑτέρῳ Θεοῦ φίλῳ τοσαῦτα προσήνεγκε δῶρα ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων κόλπων, τοσαύτην φορὰν, ὅσην οὐδέποτε ἔμπροσθεν. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ αὐτοὶ αἰδέσιμοι ἦσαν, ὅπου γε καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ σκιαὶ δαίμοσιν ἦσαν φοβεραὶ, καὶ θανάτῳ, καὶ νοσήματι; Καὶ ἄγγελοι ᾐδέσθησαν ἀνθρώπους, καὶ ἐτίμησαν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλον, οὓς ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτῶν ἐτίμα; Καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ τοῦτο ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου ἐπολυώρησας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐννοήσαντες τοίνυν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τιμῆς, ἀξίαν παράσχωμεν τὴν ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἀμοιβὴν, ἵνα μὴ τῆς τιμῆς ἡ ὑπερβολὴ ἐφόδιον ἡμῖν τιμωρίας γένηται· ἧς ῥυσθείημεν ἅπαντες οἵ τε διδάσκοντες ταῦτα καὶ οἱ μανθάνοντες, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΙΒʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυΐδ. Ἄλλος, Ἐπινίκιος ᾠδὴ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ἄλλος, Εἰς νῖκος. Ἕως πότε, Κύριε, ἐπιλήσῃ μου εἰς τέλος; Ἄλλος, Ἐκλανθάνῃ μου τέλεον. Ἕως πότε ἀποστρέφεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Ἄλλος, Κρύ πτεις. Ἕως τίνος θήσομαι βουλὰς ἐν ψυχῇ μου, Ἄλλος, Τάξω γνώμας. Ὀδύνας ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ἡμέ ρας καὶ νυκτός. Ἄλλος, Μέριμναν ἐν τῇ δια νοίᾳ μου καθ' ἡμέραν. αʹ. Οὐ μικρὸν καὶ τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν, τὸ λαμβάνειν αἴσθησιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λήθης. Λήθην δὲ μὴ πάθος εἶναι νόμιζε, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐγκατάλειψιν. Πολλοὶ γοῦν τοῦτο παθόντες, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἴσασιν, οὐδὲ ὀδύρονται· οὗτος δὲ ὁ μακάριος οὐ μόνον αὐτὸ ᾔδει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἀνελογίζετο. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἕως πότε, δεικνύντος ἐστὶ μακρὸν ὄντα τὸν χρόνον· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὀδύρεται καὶ θρηνεῖ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πῶς οὐδαμοῦ βιωτικοῦ τινος ἕνεκεν ἀλγεῖ, οὐχ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων, οὐχ ὑπὲρ δόξης, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐνοίας πανταχοῦ. Καὶ πόθεν, φησὶν, ἔγνω ὅτι ἐπελάθετο αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεός; Ἐπειδὴ ᾔδει καὶ πότε ἐμέμνητο, καὶ σαφῶς ἠπίστατο τί μὲν λήθη, τί δὲ μνήμη· οὐ καθάπερ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅταν πλουτῶσιν, ὅταν εὐδοκιμῶσι παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὅταν αὐτοῖς κατὰ ῥοῦν ἅπαντα φέρηται, ὅταν τῶν ἐχθρῶν κρατῶσι, τότε νομίζουσι μεμνῆσθαι αὐτῶν τὸν Θεόν· διὰ τοῦτο οὔτε πότε αὐτῶν ἐπιλανθάνεται ἴσασιν. Οἱ γὰρ τῆς μνήμης τὸ σημεῖον οὐκ εἰδότες, οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς λήθης ἐπίστανται. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ τῆς φιλίας σύμβολα οὐκ ἐπίστανται, οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς ἔχθρας γινώσκουσι. Πολλῶν γὰρ τῶν ταῦτα ἐχόντων ἐπιλανθάνεται ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ μάλιστα τούτων· τῶν δὲ 55.150 ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὄντων μέμνηται πολλάκις. Μνήμην γὰρ οὐδὲν οὕτω ποιεῖ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς τὸ ἀγαθόν τι ποιεῖν, τὸ νήφειν, τὸ ἐγρηγορέναι, τὸ ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι· ὥσπερ οὖν λήθην οὐδὲν