172

firstborn of all creation, according to the prophecies foretold by him concerning himself, from the seed of David and Abraham, of the tribe of Judah; and he who forms all who are born was in the womb of a virgin, and the fleshless one was made flesh, he who was begotten without time was born in time. Having lived a holy life and taught according to the law, having driven away every sickness and every infirmity from men, having performed signs and wonders among the people, having partaken of food and drink and sleep, he who nourishes all who need nourishment and fills every living thing with good pleasure, he revealed your name to those who did not know it, he banished ignorance, he rekindled piety, he fulfilled your will, he finished the work you gave him. And having accomplished all these things, he was seized by the hands of lawless priests and falsely-named high priests and a lawless people, through the betrayal of one sick with malice, and having suffered many things from them and having endured all dishonor by your permission, he was delivered over to Pilate the governor, and the judge was judged and the savior was condemned, the impassible one was nailed to the cross, and he who is immortal by nature died and the life-giver was buried, that he might release from suffering and deliver from death those for whom he had come, and break the bonds of the devil and rescue men from his deceit. And he rose from the dead on the third day, and having spent forty days with his disciples, he was taken up into the heavens and sat down at your right hand, his God and Father. Remembering, therefore, what he endured for our sake, we give thanks to you, O God almighty, not as much as we ought, but as much as we are able, and we fulfill his command. For in the night in which he was betrayed, taking bread in his holy and blameless hands, and looking up to you, his God and Father, and having broken it, he gave it to his disciples, saying: “This is the mystery of the new covenant, take of it, eat, this is my body which is broken for many for the remission of sins.” Likewise also the cup, having mixed it with wine and water and having sanctified it, he gave to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you, this is my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins; do this in remembrance of me; for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim my death, until I come.” Remembering, therefore, his passion and death and his resurrection from the dead and his return to heaven and

172

πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, κατὰ τὰς περὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προρρηθείσας προφητείας ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ καὶ Ἀβραάμ, φυλῆς Ἰούδα· καὶ γέγονεν ἐν μήτρᾳ παρθένου ὁ διαπλάσσων πάντας τοὺς γεννωμένους, καὶ ἐσαρκώθη ὁ ἄσαρκος, ὁ ἀχρόνως γεννηθεὶς ἐν χρόνῳ γεγέννηται. Πολι τευσάμενος ὁσίως καὶ παιδεύσας ἐνθέσμως, πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀπελάσας, σημεῖά τε καὶ τέρατα ἐν τῷ λαῷ ποιήσας, τροφῆς καὶ ποτοῦ καὶ ὕπνου μεταλαβὼν ὁ τρέφων πάντας τοὺς χρῄζοντας τροφῆς καὶ ἐμπιπλῶν πᾶν ζῷον εὐδοκίας, ἐφανέρωσέν σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν αὐτό, τὴν ἄγνοιαν ἐφυγάδευσεν, τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀνεζωπύρωσεν, τὸ θέλημά σου ἐπλήρωσεν, τὸ ἔργον ὃ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ ἐτελείωσεν. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα κατορθώσας, χερσὶν ἀνόμων κατασχε θεὶς ἱερέων καὶ ἀρχιερέων ψευδωνύμων καὶ λαοῦ παρανόμου προδοσίᾳ τοῦ τὴν κακόνοιαν νοσήσαντος καὶ πολλὰ παθὼν ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀτιμίαν ὑποστὰς σῇ συγχωρήσει, παραδοθεὶς Πιλάτῳ τῷ ἡγεμόνι καὶ κριθεὶς ὁ κριτὴς καὶ κατακριθεὶς ὁ σωτήρ, σταυρῷ προσηλώθη ὁ ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἀπέθανεν ὁ τῇ φύσει ἀθάνατος καὶ ἐτάφη ὁ ζωοποιός, ἵνα πάθους λύσῃ καὶ θανάτου ἐξέληται τούτους, δι' οὓς παρεγένετο, καὶ ·ήξῃ τὰ δεσμὰ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ ·ύσηται τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐκ τῆς ἀπάτης αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν συνδιατρίψας τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἀνελήφθη εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐκ δεξιῶν σου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Μεμνημένοι οὖν ὧν δι' ἡμᾶς ὑπέμεινεν, εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, Θεὲ παντοκράτορ, οὐχ ὅσον ὀφείλομεν, ἀλλ' ὅσον δυνά μεθα, καὶ τὴν διάταξιν αὐτοῦ πληροῦμεν. Ἐν ᾗ γὰρ νυκτὶ παρεδίδοτο, λαβὼν ἄρτον ταῖς ἁγίαις καὶ ἀμώμοις αὐτοῦ χερ σὶν καὶ ἀναβλέψας πρὸς σέ, τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ κλάσας ἔδωκεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἰπών· «Τοῦτο τὸ μυστήριον τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, λάβετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ, φάγετε, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου τὸ περὶ πολλῶν θρυπτόμενον εἰς ἄφε σιν ἁμαρτιῶν.» Ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ ποτήριον κεράσας ἐξ οἴνου καὶ ὕδατος καὶ ἁγιάσας ἐπέδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· «Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν· τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν· ὁσάκις γὰρ ἐὰν ἐσθίητε τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον καὶ πίνητε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο, τὸν θάνατον τὸν ἐμὸν καταγγέλλετε, ἄχρις οὗ ἂν ἔλθω.» Μεμνημένοι οὖν τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως καὶ τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἐπανόδου καὶ