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44. Thanksgiving concerning the mystical myron. 45. Prayer of the newly initiated. 46. What bishops the holy apostles sent forth and ordained. 47. Morning hymn. 48. Evening hymn. 49. At breakfast. The lawgiver Moses having said to the Israelites: "Behold, I have set before you the way of life and the way of death," and adding: "Choose life, that you may live," and the prophet Elijah saying to the people: "How long will you limp on both your hams? If the Lord is God, walk after Him," reasonably the Lord Jesus also said: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Necessarily we also, following the teacher Christ, who is the savior of all men, especially of the faithful, say that there are two ways, one of life and one of death. But they have no comparison with each other, for the difference is great, or rather they happen to be entirely separated, and the way of life is natural, but that of death is adventitious, not having its existence according to the will of God, but from the plotting of the alien one. The first, therefore, is the way of life; and this is it, which the Law also proclaims: "To love the Lord God with all your mind and with all your soul, the one and only, beside whom there is no other, and your neighbor as yourself." And: "Whatever you do not wish to happen to you, this you shall not do to another." That is: "What you hate, you shall not do to another." "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, love your enemies. For what credit is it to you, if you love those who love you? For even the Gentiles do this." But you, love those who hate you. And you will have no enemy. "For you shall not hate any man," it says, "not an Egyptian, not an Idumean," for all are the works of God. But flee not the natures, but the opinions of the wicked. "Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts. If someone gives you a blow on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," not because defense is a mean thing, but because forbearance is more honorable. For David says: "If

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μδ. Περὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ μύρου εὐχαριστία. με. Προσευχὴ τῶν νεοτελῶν. μς. Τίνας ἐπισκόπους πέμποντες ἐχειροτόνησαν οἱ ἅγιοι ἀπόστολοι. μζ. "Υμνος ὀρθρινός. μη. Ἑσπερινός. μθ. Ἐπ' ἀρίστῳ. Τοῦ νομοθέτου Μωϋσέως εἰρηκότος τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις· «Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα πρὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θανάτου», καὶ ἐπιφέροντος· «Ἔκλεξαι τὴν ζωήν, ἵνα ζήσῃς», καὶ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠλιοῦ λέγοντος τῷ λαῷ· «Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑμῶν; Eἰ Θεός ἐστι Κύριος, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ», εἰκότως ἔλεγεν καὶ ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς· «Oὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει.» Ἀναγκαίως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἑπόμενοι τῷ διδασκάλῳ Χριστῷ, ὅς ἐστι σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα πιστῶν, φαμὲν ὡς δύο ὁδοί εἰσιν, μία τῆς ζωῆς καὶ μία τοῦ θανάτου. Oὐδεμίαν δὲ σύγκρισιν ἔχουσιν πρὸς ἑαυτάς, πολὺ γὰρ τὸ διάφορον, μᾶλλον δὲ πάντη κεχωρισμέναι τυγχάνουσιν, καὶ φυσικὴ μὲν ἔστιν ἡ τῆς ζωῆς ὁδός, ἐπείσακτος δὲ ἡ τοῦ θανάτου, οὐ τοῦ κατὰ γνώμην Θεοῦ ὑπάρξαντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου. Πρώτη οὖν τυγχάνει ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς· καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη, ἣν καὶ ὁ Νόμος διαγορεύει· «Ἀγαπᾶν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον, παρ' ὃν ἄλλος οὐκ ἔστιν, καὶ τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτόν.» Καὶ· «Πᾶν, ὃ μὴ θέλεις γενέσθαι σοι, τοῦτο ἄλλῳ οὐ ποιήσεις». Τοῦτ' ἔστιν· «Ὃ σὺ μισεῖς, ἄλλῳ οὐ ποιήσεις.» «Eὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς, προ σεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν. Ποία γὰρ ὑμῖν χάρις, ἐὰν φιλῆτε τοὺς φιλοῦντας ὑμᾶς; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν.» Ὑμεῖς δὲ φιλεῖτε τοὺς μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ἐχθρὸν οὐχ ἕξετε. «Oὐ μισήσεις γὰρ πάντα ἄνθρωπον, φησί, οὐκ Aἰγύπτιον, οὐκ Ἰδουμαῖον», ἅπαντες γάρ εἰσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔργα. Φεύγετε δὲ οὐ τὰς φύσεις, ἀλλὰ τὰς γνώμας τῶν πονηρῶν. «Ἀπέχου τῶν σαρκικῶν καὶ κοσμικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν. Ἐάν τίς σοι δῷ ·άπισμα εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην», οὐ φαύλης οὔσης τῆς ἀμύνης, ἀλλὰ τιμιωτέρας τῆς ἀνεξικακίας. Λέγει γὰρ ὁ ∆αυίδ· «Eἰ