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pursuing mountains and deserts, they say nothing of these things for the time being, such as, "We have suffered this and that because of you, help us;" but as if destitute of these justifications, and not having confidence from their own right actions, they thus take refuge in what was done by God for their ancestors. For there is nothing surprising in those who do not have confidence doing these things, since necessity draws them to this; but for those who are able to speak great things from their own right actions, not to think it right to be saved by these, but by the philanthropy of 55.169 God, which their fathers also enjoyed, this is a sign of their great humility; and from this they prepare for themselves no small basis for zeal. For the name of God alone is enough to put an end to countless wars. 2. Our fathers have told us. Listen, all you who neglect your children, all you who tolerate them singing diabolical songs, but neglect the divine narratives. But these men were not like that, but continually spent their life in the narratives of God's mighty deeds; and they made the profit twofold. For those who had been well treated, by being mindful of the benefits, became better; and their descendants received from these narratives no small basis for the knowledge of God, and were led to the zeal of virtue. For the mouths of their parents were their books, and all their leisure, and all their pastime consisted of these narratives, than which nothing was more delightful, nor more profitable. For if simple narratives of events, and myths, and fictions are often accustomed to entertain the hearers; much more did these show great beneficence, power, wisdom, care, and along with the pleasure, raised up the hearer, and made him more earnest. For those who were present at the events, and received them by sight, delivered them by hearing, and hearing was equally equal to sight for belief. For those who were not present and did not see believed no less than those who were present and did see. And this was for them no small anointing for faith. Let us see what they narrated, and if they remember a similar case. For he who is about to ask for something, and to obtain his request, must ask for things similar to the grace given to others. What I am saying is this: for example, a servant asks us for a gift; if he shows that another has also received the same, he puts forward the greatest claim to receive the same, unless the example is harmed by a difference. And by difference I mean of person or of thing. For if the one who received is such as the one asking, and the thing asked for is similar, the example stands; but if that one was worthy to receive, but this one is not, there is need for greater entreaty. It is necessary to make what I say clear from the Scriptures as well; The Canaanite woman, when she heard, "It is not good to take the children's bread and give it to the little dogs," said, "Yes, Lord; for even the little dogs eat from the crumbs of their masters' table." And Paul again writing said: "If others share in the authority over you, how much more we;" here making the claim greater from the difference of the person. And again writing to Philemon he said: "Because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother; though I have much boldness in Christ to command you what is fitting, for love's sake I rather appeal." Here the example is from an equal. For when someone has been the first to receive, he opens, as it were, a door for the second, if the one about to ask is similar, or should ask for the same things. Not only from what has been given to others, but also from what has already been granted to us ourselves, the entreaty often becomes powerful; which Paul also did when writing to the Philippians and saying: "Because even in Thessalonica both once and twice for my need

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ὄρη καὶ τὰς ἐρημίας διώκοντες, οὐδὲν τούτων φασὶ τέως, ὅτι Τὸ καὶ τὸ ἐπάθομεν διὰ σὲ, βοήθησον ἡμῖν· ἀλλ' ὡς ἔρημοι τῶν δικαιολογιῶν τούτων, καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντες ἐξ οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων παῤῥησίαν, οὕτως εἰς τὰ τοῖς προγόνοις ὑπηργμένα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφεύγουσι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας παῤῥησίαν ταῦτα ποιεῖν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, τῆς ἀνάγκης αὐτοὺς εἰς τοῦτο ἑλκούσης· τὸ δὲ ἐκείνους τοὺς δυναμένους μεγάλα φθέγξασθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἑαυτῶν κατορθωμάτων, μὴ ἀπὸ τούτων ἀξιοῦν σώζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ 55.169 Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ἧς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἀπέλαυσαν, τοῦτό ἐστι τῆς πολλῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης αὐτῶν σημεῖον· οὐ μικρὰν δὲ κἀντεῦθεν ἑαυτοῖς προθυμίας κατασκευάζουσιν ὑπόθεσιν. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἡ προσηγορία μόνη μυρίους καταλῦσαι πολέμους. βʹ. Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν διηγήσαντο ἡμῖν. Ἀκούσατε ὅσοι τῶν παίδων ἀμελεῖτε τῶν ὑμετέρων, ὅσοι διαβολικὰ μελίσματα ᾄδοντας περιορᾶτε, τῶν δὲ θείων διηγημάτων ἀμελεῖτε. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὗτοι τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς ἐν τοῖς διηγήμασι τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατορθωμάτων τὸν βίον ἀνήλισκον· καὶ διπλοῦν ἐποίουν τὸ κέρδος. Οἵ τε γὰρ εὖ παθόντες, ἐν μνήμῃ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ὄντες, βελτίους ἐγίνοντο· οἵ τε ἐκείνων ἔκγονοι οὐ μικρὰν θεογνωσίας ὑπόθεσιν ἐκ τῶν διηγημάτων ἐλάμβανον τούτων, καὶ πρὸς ἀρετῆς ζῆλον ἐνήγοντο. Βιβλία γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς τὰ στόματα τῶν γεγεννηκότων, καὶ πᾶσα σχολὴ, καὶ πᾶσα διατριβὴ ταῦτα εἶχε τὰ διηγήματα, ὧν οὐδὲν τερπνότερον, οὔτε κερδαλεώτερον ἦν. Εἰ γὰρ ἁπλῶς διηγήματα πραγμάτων, καὶ μῦθοι, καὶ πλάσματα ψυχαγωγεῖν εἰώθασι πολλάκις τοὺς ἀκροατάς· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ταῦτα πολλὴν ἐδείκνυτο τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, τὴν δύναμιν, τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν, καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἀνίστα τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ σπουδαιότερον ἐποίει. Οἱ γὰρ παρόντες τοῖς γινομένοις, καὶ ὄψει παραλαβόντες, ἀκοῇ παρέδωκαν, καὶ ἦν ἡ ἀκοὴ τῆς ὄψεως ὁμοίως πρὸς πίστιν ἴση. Τῶν γὰρ παρόντων καὶ θεωμένων οὐχ ἧττον ἐπίστευον οἱ μὴ παρόντες καὶ θεώμενοι. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦτο εἰς πίστιν ἄλειμμα ἦν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ τί διηγήσαντο, καὶ εἰ ὑποθέσεως ὁμοίας μέμνηνται. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν μέλλοντά τινος δεῖσθαι, καὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως ἐπιτυγχάνειν, ἐκ τῆς ἑτέροις δοθείσης χάριτος ὅμοια αἰτεῖν ἐκείνῳ χρή. Ὃ δὲ λέγω, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οἷον, αἰτεῖ τις ἡμᾶς οἰκέτης δωρεάν· ἂν δείξῃ καὶ ἕτερον εἰληφότα τὴν αὐτὴν, μέγιστον δικαίωμα τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ λαβεῖν προβάλλεται, πλὴν ἐὰν μὴ τῇ διαφορᾷ τὸ παράδειγμα βλάπτηται. ∆ιαφορὰν δὲ λέγω προσώπου ἢ πράγματος. Ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ ὁ εἰληφὼς ᾖ τοιοῦτος, οἷος ὁ αἰτῶν, καὶ τὸ αἰτούμενον ὅμοιον, ἕστηκε τὸ ὑπόδειγμα· ἂν δὲ ἐκεῖνος δίκαιος μὲν λαβεῖν, οὗτος δὲ οὐκ ἔτι, μείζονος χρεία τῆς παρακλήσεως. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν ὃ λέγω ποιῆσαι σαφές· Ἡ Χαναναία, ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσεν, Οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων, καὶ δοῦναι τοῖς κυναρίοις, φησὶ, Ναὶ, Κύριε· καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἐκ τῶν ψιχίων τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ Παῦλος πάλιν γράφων ἔλεγεν· Εἰ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐξουσίας ὑμῶν μετέχουσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς· ἐνταῦθα μεῖζον τὸ δικαίωμα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ προσώπου διαφορᾶς ποιῶν. Καὶ πάλιν Φιλήμονι γράφων ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπέπαυται διὰ σοῦ, ἀδελφέ· δὼ πολλὴν ἐν Χριστῷ παῤῥησίαν ἔχων ἐπιτάσσειν σοι τὸ ἀνῆκον, διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μᾶλλον παρακαλῶ. Ἐνταῦθα ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου τὸ παράδειγμα. Ὅταν γὰρ πρῶτος ᾖ τις εἰληφὼς, ὥσπερ τινὰ τῷ δευτέρῳ θύραν ἀνοίγνυσιν, ἂν ᾖ ὅμοιος ὁ μέλλων αἰτεῖν, ἢ τὰ αὐτὰ αἰτοίη. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἑτέροις δεδομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἤδη ὑπαρξάντων ἡ παράκλησις πολλάκις ἰσχυρὰ γίνεται· ὃ καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίει Φιλιππησίοις γράφων καὶ λέγων· Ὅτι καὶ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς τὰ εἰς τὴν χρείαν μοι