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and of lightnings, angels of cold and of heat, of winter and of autumn, and of all the spirits of His creations, those in the heavens and on earth and of the chaos, the darkness over the abyss of the waters that were once above the earth, from which darkness came evening and night, the light of day and of dawn. 10.44 These seven greatest signs God made on the first day, and on the second day the firmament in the midst of the waters; on this day the waters were divided; half of them ascended above the firmament, and half of them below the firmament in the midst, upon the face of all the earth; this alone was the work God did on the second day. 10.45 And this man agrees with us, testifying about the shape, speaking of an upper heaven and a lower firmament which also holds the waters, and concerning the angels, plainly saying everything in the same way as us, that all are in this world and all move all things and minister for the sake of man, and that they themselves also came into being on the first day with the upper heaven and the earth. And hearing this, O men, be not indignant, being held by strife and jealousy, but rather, as lovers of truth, recognize the ecclesiastical, that is, the true, harmony. For you revile in vain, being unable to look the truth in the eye. Be ashamed, then, of the multitude of witnesses. But if this is not yet enough for you, passing over this one and coming to the bishop of the imperial city, the wonderful John, who was rejected by the three who preceded him, let us also show this famous champion and merciful man, co-witnessing and agreeing with our argument. From the sermon On Almsgiving of John Chrysostom 10.46 A great thing is man, and an honorable thing is a merciful man. Great are the wings of almsgiving; it cuts through the air, it passes the moon, it cuts through the rays of the sun, it ascends to the very vaults of heaven; but neither does it stop there, but it also runs past the heaven of heaven, and passes by the assemblies of angels and the choirs of archangels and all the higher Powers, and it stands beside the royal throne itself. And be taught from the Scripture itself; it says this: "Cornelius, your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." Of the same, from the commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians 10.47 "In all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will," that is, having made us wise and insightful with true wisdom, with true insight. O what great friendship! For he tells us his mysteries. "Of his will," he says, as one might say: He has made known to us the things in his heart. For this is the mystery full of all wisdom and insight; for what equal to this wisdom do you seek? Those who were worthy of nothing, these he found how to lead up to wealth. What is equal to this alliance? This hated enemy has suddenly come to be above; and not only this, but also that at this time this too was of wisdom, and that through the cross. It is a long discourse here to show how this was of wisdom, and how he made us wise. Again 10.48 "According to his good pleasure," he says, "which he purposed in him," that is, this he desired, this he was in travail with, as one might say, to declare the mystery. What is this, then? That he wishes to seat man above; and this came to be "for the administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things on the earth". Of the same, from the commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, on the chapter that says, "Now the main point of what is being said is this" 10.49 Where are those who say that the heaven is shaken? Where are those who declare it to be spherical? For both of these have been refuted here. Of the same, from the commentary, on the chapter that says "and for this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant" 10.50 And how are these copies of the things in the heavens? But what does he call "the things in the heavens"? Our things; and our things are heavenly, even if they are accomplished on earth,

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καὶ ἀστραπῶν, ἄγγελοι ψύχους καὶ καύματος, χειμῶνος καὶ φθινοπώρου, καὶ πάντων τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτοῦ, τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ τοῦ χάους, τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου τῶν ὑδάτων τῶν ποτὲ ἐπάνω τῆς γῆς, ἐξ οὗπερ σκότους ἑσπέρα καὶ νύξ, τὸ φῶς ἡμέρας τε καὶ ὄρθρου. 10.44 Ταῦτα τὰ ἑπτὰ μέγιστα σημεῖα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ τὸ στερέωμα τὸ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ὑδάτων· ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐμερίσθη τὰ ὕδατα· τὰ ἡμίση αὐτῶν ἀνέβη ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ τὰ ἡμίση αὐτῶν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος ἐν μέσῳ, ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς· τοῦτο μόνον τὸ ἔργον ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ. 10.45 Καὶ οὗτος ἡμῖν συμφωνεῖ μαρτυρῶν περὶ τοῦ σχήματος, ἀνώτερον οὐρανὸν εἰπὼν καὶ στερέωμα κατώτερον τὸ καὶ βαστάζον τὰ ὕδατα, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων δὲ διαρρήδην πάντα ὁμοίως ἡμῖν εἰπών, ὅτι καὶ πάντες ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ εἰσὶ καὶ πάντες πάντα κινοῦσι καὶ λειτουργοῦσι διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ σὺν οὐρανῷ τῷ ἀνωτέρῳ καὶ τῇ γῇ ἐγένοντο. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούοντες, ἄνθρωποι, μὴ ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ κατεχόμενοι ἀγανακτήσητε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον φιλαλήθως ἐπίγνωτε τὴν συμφωνίαν τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικήν, ἤτοι καὶ τὴν ἀληθινήν. Μάτην γὰρ λοιδορεῖτε, ἀντοφθαλμεῖν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ δυνάμενοι. Ἐντράπητε τοίνυν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαρτύρων. Εἰ δὲ μηδέπω ἀρκεῖ ὑμῖν, ἔτι καὶ τοῦτον παρατρέχοντες ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς βασιλευούσης ἐπίσκοπον, τὸν θαυμάσιον Ἰωάννην, τὸν ἐκ τῶν τριῶν προλαβόντων ἀθετηθέντα παρελθόντες, δείξωμεν καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἀοίδιμον ἀθλητὴν καὶ ἐλεήμονα, συμμαρτυροῦντα καὶ συμφωνοῦντα τῷ ἡμετέρῳ λόγῳ. Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου ἐκ τοῦ Περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης λόγου 10.46 Μέγα ἄνθρωπος καὶ τίμιον ἀνὴρ ἐλεήμων. Μεγάλα τὰ πτερὰ τὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης· τέμνει τὸν ἀέρα, παρέρχεται τὴν σελήνην, τέμνει τὰς ἀκτῖνας τοῦ ἡλίου, εἰς αὐτὰς ἀνέρχεται τὰς ἀψῖδας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἀλλ' οὔτε ἐκεῖ ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ παρατρέχει, καὶ τοὺς δήμους τῶν ἀγγέλων παρέρχεται καὶ τοὺς χοροὺς τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ τὰς ἀνωτέρας ὅλας ∆υνάμεις, καὶ αὐτῷ παρίσταται τῷ θρόνῳ τῷ βασιλικῷ. Καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς διδάχθητι τῆς Γραφῆς· τοῦτό φησι· "Κορνήλιε, αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ." Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ὑπομνήματος τῆς πρὸς Ἐφεσίους Ἐπιστολῆσ 10.47 "Ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ", τουτέστι σοφοὺς καὶ φρονίμους ποιήσας τῇ ὄντως σοφίᾳ, τῇ ὄντως φρονήσει. Βαβαὶ πόση φιλία. Τὰ γὰρ μυστήρια αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν λέγει. "Τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ" φησίν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις· Τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν ἐγνώρισε. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ μυστήριον τὸ πάσης σοφίας γέμον καὶ φρονήσεως· τί γὰρ ταύτης τῆς σοφίας ἴσον ζητεῖς; Τοὺς οὐδενὸς ἀξίους ὄντας, τούτους εὗρεν ὅπως εἰς πλοῦτον ἀναγάγῃ. Τί ταύτης τῆς συμμαχίας ἴσον; Ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὁ μεμισημένος οὗτος ἐξαίφνης ἄνω γέγονε· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ καὶ τοῦτο σοφίας ἦν, καὶ τὸ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ. Μῆκος ἐνταῦθα ὁ λόγος δεῖξαι πῶς σοφίας ἦν τοῦτο, καὶ πῶς σοφοὺς ἡμᾶς εἰργάσατο. Πάλιν 10.48 "Κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ", τουτέστι τοῦτο ἐπεθύμει, τοῦτο ὤδινεν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, ἐξειπεῖν τὸ μυστήριον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὅτι ἄνθρωπον ἄνω καθίσαι βούλεται· τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν "εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, τά τε ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς". Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ὑπομνήματος τῆς πρὸς Ἑβραΐους Ἐπιστολῆς, εἰς τὸ κεφάλαιον τὸ λέγον "κεφάλαιον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις" 10.49 Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες δονεῖσθαι τὸν οὐρανόν; Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ σφαιροειδῆ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἀποφαινόμενοι; Ἀμφότερα γὰρ ταῦτα ἀνῄρηται ἐνταῦθα. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ὑπομνήματος, εἰς τὸ κεφάλαιον τὸ λέγον "καὶ διὰ τοῦτο διαθήκης νέας μεσίτης ἐστί" 10.50 Καὶ πῶς ἐστιν ὑποδείγματα ταῦτα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς; Τίνα δὲ καλεῖ "τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς"; Τὰ ἡμέτερα· καὶ ἐπου ράνια τὰ ἡμέτερα, κἂν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐπιτελῆται,