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these wars, and I myself will certainly arrive. What could be gentler than that soul? Let the Greeks, then, be ashamed; or rather, let them not be ashamed, but let them be taught, and forsaking their own error, let them return to the power of Christianity, learning our philosophy from the emperor, from the priest. For the most God-loving emperor did not stop at these things then, but when the priest had departed from the city and crossed the sea, he also sent some people there to make inquiries and be busy, lest perhaps he waste time, and give the city pleasure by halves by celebrating the feast outside. What gentle father would have shown such zeal for those who had insulted him? Let me also say another encomium of the just man. For having accomplished these things, he did not hasten, as another fond of glory might, to bring himself the letters that would release us from that dejection; but since he was traveling rather slowly, he requested another of those who knew how to drive horses to go ahead, and bring the good news to the city, so that the despondency might not be increased by the delay of his own return. For his only concern was, not that he himself should come bringing these good things full of much joy, but that our fatherland should quickly breathe again. What you did then, therefore, crowning the marketplace, and lighting lamps, and arranging couches before the workshops, and celebrating as if the city had just been born; do this in another way for all time, not being crowned with flowers, but with virtue, lighting the light from your works in your soul, rejoicing with a spiritual joy, and let us not cease from continually giving thanks to God for all these things, not only because He has loosed the terrible things, but also because He permitted them to happen, and let us confess much grace to Him; for through both He has adorned our city. And all these things, according to the prophetic word, declare to your children, and your children to their children, and they in turn to another generation, so that all who come until the end of the age, learning of the loving-kindness of God that has been shown to the city, may call us blessed, who have enjoyed such favor, and may marvel at our Master who so raised up the fallen city, and may they themselves also gain, being urged toward piety by all that has happened. For not only us, if we remember them continually, but also those who come after us, will the history of what has happened to us 49.221 be able to benefit in the greatest ways. Therefore, considering all these things, let us give thanks always to the philanthropic God, not only in the release from the terrible things, but also in the permission of the terrible things, learning this very thing from the divine Scriptures and from what has happened to us, that He always manages all things for our good 49.222 with the loving-kindness befitting Him; may we continually enjoy this, and attain the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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τοὺς πολέμους τούτους, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφίξομαι πάντως. Τί τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκείνης ἡμερώτερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν Ἕλληνες λοιπόν· μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ αἰσχυνέσθωσαν, ἀλλὰ παιδευέσθωσαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφέντες πλάνην ἐπανίτωσαν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ δύναμιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱερέως μαθόντες τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν φιλοσοφίαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέχρι τούτων ἔστη τότε ὁ θεοφιλέστατος βασιλεὺς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐξήλασεν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ διέβη τὴν θάλασσαν, ἔπεμψε καὶ ἐκεῖ τινας περιεργαζόμενος καὶ πολυπραγμονῶν, μή ποτε τρίβῃ τὸν χρόνον, καὶ τῇ πόλει τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐξ ἡμισείας ποιῇ, ἔξω τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελῶν. Ποῖος πατὴρ ἥμερος τοσαύτην ἂν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὑβρικότων ἐποιήσατο σπουδήν; Εἴπω τι καὶ ἕτερον τοῦ δικαίου ἐγκώμιον. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἀνύσας, οὐκ ἔσπευσεν, ὡς ἂν εἴ τις ἕτερος δόξης ἐρῶν, αὐτὸς τὰ γράμματα τὶ λύοντα τὴν κατήφειαν ἡμῖν ἐκείνην κομίσαι· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ σχολαιότερον ἐβάδιζεν, ἕτερόν τινα τῶν ἵππους ἐλαύνειν εἰδότων ἠξίωσε προλαβεῖν, καὶ κομίσαι τῇ πόλει τὰ εὐαγγέλια ὥστε μὴ τῇ μελλήσει τῆς ἐπανόδου τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἐπιταθῆναι. Τὸ γὰρ σπουδαζόμενον αὐτῷ μόνον ἦν, οὐχ ὅπως αὐτὸς ἔλθοι φέρων τὰ χρηστὰ ταῦτα καὶ πολλῆς ἡδονῆς γέμοντα, ἀλλ' ὅπως ταχέως ἡ πατρὶς ἡμῖν ἀναπνεύσειεν. Ὅπερ οὖν τότε ἐποιήσατε στεφανώσαντες τὴν ἀγορὰν, καὶ λύχνους ἅψαντες, καὶ στιβάδας πρὸ τῶν ἐργαστηρίων συνθέντες, καὶ ὥσπερ ἄρτι τῆς πόλεως τεχθείσης, οὕτω πανηγυρίσαντες· τοῦτο ἑτέρως διὰ παντὸς ποιεῖτε τοῦ χρόνου, μὴ τοῖς ἄνθεσιν, ἀλλ' ἀρετῇ στεφανούμενοι, τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἅπτοντες κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ὑμετέραν, εὐφροσύνην εὐφραινόμενοι πνευματικὴν, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ διηνεκῶς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἁπάντων εὐχαριστοῦντες μὴ διαλείπωμεν, μηδ' ὅτι μόνον ἔλυσε τὰ δεινὰ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ συνεχώρησεν αὐτὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ πολλὴν αὐτῷ χάριν ὁμολογῶμεν· δι' ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ ἡμῖν τὴν πόλιν ἐκόσμησε. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα κατὰ τὸ προφητικὸν λόγιον ἀναγγείλατε τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν, κἀκεῖνοι πάλιν εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν, ἵνα ἅπαντες οἱ μέχρι τῆς συντελείας γινόμενοι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ πόλει γεγενημένην μαθόντες, μακαρίζωσι μὲν ἡμᾶς τοὺς τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσαντας εὐνοίας, θαυμάζωσι δὲ ἡμῶν τὸν δεσπότην τὸν οὕτω καταπίπτουσαν τὴν πόλιν ἀναστήσαντα, κερδάνωσι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ, διὰ πάντων τῶν γεγενημένων πρὸς εὐλάβειαν συνωθούμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἡμᾶς, εἰ μνημονεύοιμεν αὐτῶν διηνεκῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μεθ' ἡμᾶς γινομένους, τὰ μέγιστα τῶν συμβάντων ἡμῖν ἡ ἱστορία 49.221 ὠφελῆσαι δυνήσεται. Ἅπερ οὖν ἅπαντα λογιζόμενοι, μὴ μόνον ἐν τῇ λύσει τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ συγχωρήσει τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστῶμεν ἀεὶ τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ Θεῷ, ἀπό τε τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ἀπό τε τῶν ἡμῖν συμβάντων αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο μαθόντες, ὡς ἅπαντα ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ δέον 49.222 ἡμῖν οἰκονομεῖ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῷ πρεπούσης φιλανθρωπίας· ἧς γένοιτο διηνεκῶς ἡμᾶς ἀπολαύοντας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.