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does he put forward the mercies of God? For since we have countless good things from hence, he says, from the mercies of God, reverence them, be abashed before them. For they themselves make the supplication, that you may show nothing unworthy of them. Through these very things, therefore, he says, I beseech you, through which you were saved; just as if someone, wishing to shame one who has received great benefits, should bring the benefactor himself as a suppliant. And what do you beseech, tell me? To present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. For when he said, A sacrifice, lest anyone should think that he commands them to slay their bodies, he quickly added, Living. Then distinguishing it from the Jewish sacrifice, he says, Holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service; for that was carnal, and not very acceptable. For Who, he says, hath required this at your hands? And in many other places he is seen rejecting them. But not this one; rather, even when that one was being offered, He sought this one. Wherefore he also said, The sacrifice of praise shall glorify me; and again, I will praise the name of my God with a song, and it shall please God better than a young bullock that hath horns and hoofs; and elsewhere, casting it out and saying; Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? he added, Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows unto the Most High. So also Paul commands here: Present your bodies a living sacrifice. And how, he asks, can the body become a sacrifice? Let the eye look upon no evil thing, and it has become a sacrifice; let the tongue speak nothing shameful, and it has become an offering; let the hand do nothing unlawful, and it has become a whole burnt offering. But rather, these things are not enough, but we must also work at good things, that the hand may give alms, the mouth bless those who mistreat 60.596 us, and the ear be ever at leisure for divine hearings. For the sacrifice has nothing unclean; the sacrifice is the firstfruits of the rest. Let us then offer to God the firstfruits of our hands and feet and mouth and all our other members; such a sacrifice is well-pleasing, whereas that of the Jews was also unclean. For their sacrifices, he says, are to them as the bread of mourning. But not ours. That one rendered the thing sacrificed dead; this one makes the thing sacrificed alive. For when we have put to death our members, then we shall be able to live; for this is a new law of sacrifice; wherefore also the manner of the fire is wondrous. For it needs no wood or underlying matter, but our fire lives of itself, and does not burn up the victim, but rather gives it life. This is the sacrifice God sought from the beginning; wherefore the prophet also said, The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit. And the three children offered this, saying: There is no prince, nor prophet, nor place to offer fruit and find mercy, but let us be accepted with a contrite soul and a humble spirit. But observe how he uses each word with great precision. For he did not say, Make your bodies a sacrifice, but, Present. as if he were saying, Have nothing more in common with them; you have given them over to another. For those who present war horses have nothing more in common with them. And so you have presented your members to the war against the devil, and to the fearful battle-line; do not drag them down to private services. And he shows another thing from this, that we must also make them approved, if we are to present them. For we present them not to any of earthly men, but to God himself, the King of all, not only that he may wage war, but also that he may have the King himself seated upon it. For he does not refuse to be seated upon our members, but greatly desires this; and what a king, our fellow-servant, would not choose, this the Lord of angels chooses. Since, then, it is both to be presented and is a sacrifice, remove every blemish; for if it has a blemish, it would no longer be a sacrifice. For neither can an eye be sacrificed while looking lustfully, nor a hand be presented while seizing and being covetous, nor feet walking lamely and going up to the theaters, nor a stomach enslaved to luxury, and of the

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τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ προβάλλεται; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ μυρία ἡμῖν ἐντεῦθεν, φησὶν, ἀγαθὰ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτοὺς αἰδέσθητε, αὐτοὺς δυσωπήθητε. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν τιθέασιν, ἵνα μηδὲν ἀνάξιον αὐτῶν ἐπιδείξησθε. ∆ι' αὐτῶν οὖν τούτων, φησὶ, παρακαλῶ, δι' ὧν ἐσώθητε· ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὸν μεγάλα εὐεργετηθέντα ἐντρέψαι βουλόμενος, αὐτὸν τὸν εὐεργετήσαντα ἱκέτην ἀγάγοι. Καὶ τί παρακαλεῖς, εἰπέ μοι; Παραστῆσαι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε, Θυσίαν, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ, ὅτι κατασφάξαι κελεύει τὰ σώματα, ταχέως ἐπήγαγε, Ζῶσαν. Εἶτα διαιρῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς, φησὶν, Ἁγίαν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν· ἐκείνη γὰρ σωματικὴ, καὶ οὐ σφόδρα εὐάρεστος. Τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησε ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν, φησί; Καὶ πολλαχοῦ ἀλλαχοῦ φαίνεται διακρουόμενος αὐτάς. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνης διδομένης ταύτην ἐζήτει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε, Θυσία αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με· καὶ πάλιν, Αἰνέσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ μου μετ' ᾠδῆς, καὶ ἀρέσει τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ μόσχον νέον, κέρατα ἐκφέροντα καὶ ὁπλάς· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἐκβάλλων αὐτὴν, καὶ λέγων· Μὴ φάγομαι κρέα ταύρων, ἢ αἷμα τράγων πίομαι; ἐπήγαγε, Θῦσον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἀπόδος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ τὰς εὐχάς σου. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐνταῦθα κελεύει· Παραστήσατε τὰ σώματα θυσίαν ζῶσαν. Καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο τὸ σῶμα, φησὶ, θυσία; Μηδὲν ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρὸν βλεπέτω, καὶ γέγονε θυσία· μηδὲν ἡ γλῶσσα λαλείτω αἰσχρὸν, καὶ γέγονε προσφορά· μηδὲν ἡ χεὶρ πραττέτω παράνομον, καὶ γέγονεν ὁλοκαύτωμα. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡμῖν ἐργασίας δεῖ, ἵνα ἡ μὲν χεὶρ ἐλεημοσύνην ποιῇ, τὸ δὲ στόμα εὐλογῇ τοὺς ἐπηρεάζον 60.596 τας, ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ θείαις σχολάζῃ διηνεκῶς ἀκροάσεσιν. Ἡ γὰρ θυσία οὐδὲν ἔχει ἀκάθαρτον, ἡ θυσία ἀπαρχὴ τῶν ἄλλων ἐστί. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν καὶ χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν καὶ στόματος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀπαρχώμεθα τῷ Θεῷ· ἡ τοιαύτη θυσία εὐάρεστος, ὡς ἥ γε τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἦν. Αἱ θυσίαι γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἄρτος πένθους αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ ἡμετέρα. Ἐκείνη τὸ τεθυμένον νεκρὸν ἐναπέφηνεν· αὕτη τὸ τεθυμένον ζῶν ἀπεργάζεται. Ὅταν γὰρ νεκρώσωμεν ἡμῶν τὰ μέλη, τότε δυνησόμεθα ζῇν· καινὸς γὰρ οὗτος τῆς θυσίας ὁ νόμος· διὸ καὶ παράδοξος τοῦ πυρὸς ὁ τρόπος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ξύλων δεῖται καὶ ὕλης ὑποκειμένης, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ ζῇ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡμέτερον, καὶ οὐδὲ κατακαίει τὸ ἱερεῖον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον αὐτὸ ζωοποιεῖ. Ταύτην ἄνωθεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν θυσίαν ἐζήτει· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ προφήτης, Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον. Καὶ οἱ παῖδες δὲ οἱ τρεῖς ταύτην προσῆγον λέγοντες· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρχων οὐδὲ προφήτης οὐδὲ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος, ἀλλ' ἐν ψυχῇ συντετριμμένῃ καὶ πνεύματι ταπεινώσεως προσδεχθείημεν. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς καὶ ἑκάστῃ λέξει μετὰ πολλῆς κέχρηται τῆς ἀκριβείας. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Ποιήσατε τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν, ἀλλὰ, Παραστήσατε. ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε, Μηδὲν λοιπὸν κοινὸν ἔχετε πρὸς αὐτά· ἑτέρῳ αὐτὰ ἐξεδώκατε. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τοὺς ἵππους τοὺς πολεμιστηρίους παριστῶντες, οὐδὲν λοιπὸν κοινὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔχουσι. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν παρέστησας τῷ πολέμῳ τῷ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ μέλη, καὶ τῇ παρατάξει τῇ φοβερᾷ· μὴ κάθελκε πρὸς ἰδιωτικὰς αὐτὰ διακονίας. Καὶ ἕτερον δὲ ἐκ τούτου δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ δόκιμα αὐτὰ δεῖ ποιεῖν, εἴ γε παριστᾷν μέλλομεν. Οὐ γάρ τινι τῶν ἐπιγείων ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ παριστῶμεν αὐτὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, οὐχ ἵνα πολεμῇ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπικαθήμενον ἔχῃ τὸν βασιλέα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ παραιτεῖται ἐπικαθῆσθαι τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο βούλεται· καὶ ὅπερ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτο ὁμόδουλος ἡμῖν, τοῦτο ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης αἱρεῖται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ παρίστασθαι μέλλει, καὶ θυσία ἐστὶ, πάντα μῶμον περίελε· ὡς ἐὰν ἔχῃ μῶμον, οὐκέτ' ἂν εἴη θυσία. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸς δύναται τυθῆναι πορνικὰ βλέπων, οὐ χεὶρ παραστῆναι ἁρπάζουσα καὶ πλεονεκτοῦσα, οὐ πόδες χωλὰ βαδίζοντες καὶ ἐπὶ θέατρα ἀναβαίνοντες, οὐ γαστὴρ τρυφῇ δουλεύουσα, καὶ τῶν