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who got up, not because of friendship, but because of his persistence, He legislated nothing other than that all should continuously entreat Him, and He does not command us simply to approach and recite to Him a prayer composed of ten thousand lines. For He hinted at this when He said: They think that they will be heard for their many words. For He knows, He says, what you need. And if He knows, one says, what we need, for what reason must we pray? Not so that you might teach Him, but so that you might bend Him; so that you might become intimate with Him by the continuance of your prayer, so that you might be humbled, so that you might be reminded of your sins. Therefore, you should pray like this, He says: Our Father who art in heaven, See how He immediately raised up the hearer, and in the preface reminded him of every benefit. For he who has called God Father, has by this one title confessed the forgiveness of sins, and the removal of punishment, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, and adoption as a son, and inheritance, and brotherhood with the Only-begotten, and the supply of the Spirit. For it is not possible to call God Father without having obtained all those good things. In two ways, then, He awakens their spirit, both by the dignity of the one who is called upon, and by the greatness of the benefits they have enjoyed. But when He says, "In heaven," He does not say this as shutting up God there, but as drawing the one who prays away from earth, and fixing him to the high places, and to the dwellings above. He also teaches us to make our prayer in common on behalf of our brothers. For He does not say "My Father who art in heaven," but "Our Father," offering up petitions for the common body, and nowhere looking to his own interest, but everywhere to that of his neighbor. And from this He also removes enmity, and puts down arrogance, and casts out envy, and brings in love, the mother of all good things, and banishes the inequality of human 57.279 affairs, and shows how great is the equality of honor between the king and the poor man, if indeed we all share in the greatest and most necessary things. For what harm is there from kinship below, when we are all joined together by the kinship above, and no one has anything more than another, neither the rich than the poor, nor the master than the slave, nor the ruler than the ruled, nor the king than the soldier, nor the philosopher than the barbarian, nor the wise man than the unlearned? For to all He has granted one nobility, having deigned to be called the Father of all alike. Having reminded us, therefore, of this nobility, and of the gift from above, and of the equality of honor with our brothers, and of love, and having drawn us away from the earth, and fixed us to the heavens, let us see what He then commands us to ask. For indeed the very word itself is sufficient to instill the teaching of all virtue. For he who has called God Father, and a common Father, would be right to display such a way of life as not to appear unworthy of this nobility, and to offer zeal equal to the gift. Nevertheless, He is not content with this, but adds another petition, saying thus: Hallowed be Thy name. A prayer worthy of one who calls God Father, to ask nothing before the glory of the Father, but to consider all things secondary to praise of Him. For "Hallowed be," is this: "Glorified be." For He has His own glory full and ever-abiding in the same way; but He commands the one who prays to ask that He be glorified also through our life. This is what He said before: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. For the Seraphim, glorifying Him, said thus: Holy, holy, holy. So that "Hallowed be," is this: "Glorified be." For, He says, "Make us worthy to live so purely that through us all may glorify you." Which again is a mark of perfected philosophy, to present a life so blameless to all, that each of those who sees it may offer praise to the Lord for this. Thy kingdom come. And this again is the utterance of a good child, not to be attached to things seen, nor to consider present things as great, but

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ἀναστήσαντα, οὐ διὰ τὴν φιλίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν προσεδρείαν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τὸ συνεχῶς ἐντυγχάνειν αὐτῷ ἅπαντας ἐνομοθέτησεν, οὐ μὴν μυρίων στίχων εὐχὴν συντιθέντας αὐτῷ προσιέναι καὶ ἀπαγγέλλειν ἁπλῶς κελεύει. Τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· ∆οκοῦσιν ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται. Οἶδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε. Καὶ εἰ οἶδε, φησὶν, ὧν χρείαν ἔχομεν, τίνος ἕνεκεν εὔχεσθαι δεῖ; Οὐχ ἵνα διδάξῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐπικάμψῃς· ἵνα οἰκειωθῇς τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς ἐντεύξεως, ἵνα ταπεινωθῇς, ἵνα ἀναμνησθῇς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῶν σῶν. Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς, φησί· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, Ὅρα πῶς εὐθέως ἀνέστησε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ πάσης ἀνέμνησε τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἐν προοιμίοις. Ὁ γὰρ Πατέρα εἰπὼν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν, καὶ κολάσεως ἀναίρεσιν, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἁγιασμὸν, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσιν, καὶ υἱοθεσίαν, καὶ κληρονομίαν, καὶ ἀδελφότητα τὴν πρὸς τὸν Μονογενῆ, καὶ Πνεύματος χορηγίαν, διὰ τῆς μιᾶς ταύτης ὡμολόγησε προσηγορίας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν καλέσαι πατέρα τὸν Θεὸν, μὴ πάντων ἐκείνων ἐπιτυχόντα τῶν ἀγαθῶν. ∆ιπλῇ τοίνυν αὐτῶν διεγείρει τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι τοῦ καλουμένου, καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῶν εὐεργετημάτων ὧν ἀπέλαυσαν. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅταν εἴπῃ, οὐκ ἐκεῖ τὸν Θεὸν συγκλείων τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς γῆς ἀπάγων τὸν εὐχόμενον, καὶ τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς προσηλῶν χωρίοις, καὶ ταῖς ἄνω διατριβαῖς. Παιδεύει δὲ καὶ κοινὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν εὐχήν. Οὐ γὰρ λέγει Ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἀλλ', Ὁ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ σώματος τὰς δεήσεις ἀναφέρων, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ σκοπῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τὸ τοῦ πλησίον. Ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου καὶ ἔχθραν ἀναιρεῖ, καὶ ἀπόνοιαν καταστέλλει, καὶ βασκανίαν ἐκβάλλει, καὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων ἀγάπην εἰσάγει, καὶ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐξορίζει 57.279 πραγμάτων, καὶ πολλὴν δείκνυσι τῷ βασιλεῖ πρὸς τὸν πτωχὸν τὴν ὁμοτιμίαν, εἴγε ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτοις κοινωνοῦμεν ἅπαντες. Τί γὰρ βλάβος ἐκ τῆς κάτω συγγενείας, ὅταν κατὰ τὴν ἄνω ἅπαντες ὦμεν συνημμένοι, καὶ μηδεὶς ἑτέρου πλέον ἔχῃ μηδὲν, μήτε ὁ πλούσιος τοῦ πένητος, μήτε ὁ δεσπότης τοῦ δούλου, μήτε ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ ἀρχομένου, μήτε ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ στρατιώτου, μήτε ὁ φιλόσοφος τοῦ βαρβάρου, μήτε ὁ σοφὸς τοῦ ἰδιώτου; Πᾶσι γὰρ μίαν ἐχαρίσατο εὐγένειαν, πάντων ὁμοίως κληθῆναι καταξιώσας πατήρ. Ἀναμνήσας τοίνυν τῆς εὐγενείας ταύτης, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν δωρεᾶς, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὁμοτιμίας, καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀποστήσας, καὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς προσηλώσας, ἴδωμεν τί κελεύει λοιπὸν αἰτεῖν. Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ λέξις ἱκανὴ πάσης ἀρετῆς διδασκαλίαν ἐνθεῖναι. Ὁ γὰρ Πατέρα καλέσας τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Πατέρα κοινὸν, δίκαιος ἂν εἴη τοιαύτην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι πολιτείαν, ὡς μὴ τῆς εὐγενείας ταύτης ἀνάξιος φανῆναι, καὶ ἴσην τῇ δωρεᾷ παρέχεσθαι τὴν σπουδήν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀρκεῖται τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέραν προστίθησιν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου. Ἀξία τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν Πατέρα καλοῦντος ἡ εὐχὴ, τὸ μηδὲν αἰτεῖν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς δόξης, ἀλλὰ πάντα δεύτερα ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον εὐφημίας. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἁγιασθήτω, τοῦτό ἐστι, ∆οξασθήτω. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ οἰκείαν ἔχει δόξαν πεπληρωμένην, καὶ ὡσαύτως ἀεὶ μένουσαν· ἀξιοῦν δὲ κελεύει τὸν εὐχόμενον, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐτὸν δοξάζεσθαι ζωῆς. Ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγε· Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ὑμῶν ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ Σεραφὶμ δοξάζοντα οὕτως ἔλεγον· Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος. Ὥστε τὸ, Ἁγιασθήτω, τοῦτό ἐστι, ∆οξασθήτω. Καταξίωσον γὰρ, φησὶν, οὕτως ἡμᾶς βιοῦν καθαρῶς, ὡς δι' ἡμῶν ἅπαντάς σε δοξάζειν. Ὅπερ πάλιν ἀπηρτισμένης ἐστὶ φιλοσοφίας, τὸ οὕτω βίον ἄληπτον παρέχεσθαι πᾶσιν, ὡς ἕκαστον τῶν ὁρώντων τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀναφέρειν εὐφημίαν. Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν παιδὸς εὐγνώμονος τὸ ῥῆμα, τὸ μὴ προσηλῶσθαι τοῖς ὁρωμένοις, μηδὲ μέγα τι τὰ παρόντα ἡγεῖσθαι, ἀλλ'