176

this is the proclamation, and after this they could not say, We have not heard; for the word of piety has gone forth to the ends of the world. Therefore, let us also, considering these things, fulfill all our duties towards our neighbors, and give thanks to God always. For it is absurd, while enjoying His beneficence in deed each day, not even to confess our gratitude in word, especially when this confession in turn brings us benefit. For He does not need anything of ours, but we need everything of His. For thanksgiving adds nothing to Him, but it makes us more intimate with Him. For if, by calling to mind the benefactions of men, we are warmed the more by affection; much more, by continually remembering the Master's good deeds towards us, shall we be more zealous for His commandments. For this reason Paul also said: Be thankful. For the best guardian of a benefaction is the memory of the benefaction, and continual thanksgiving. For this very reason also the awful mysteries, full of great salvation, which are celebrated at every gathering, are called the Eucharist, because it is a remembrance of many benefits, and shows forth the chief point of God's providence, and prepares us to give thanks for all things. For if to be born of a virgin is a great wonder, and the evangelist, being astonished, said, Now all this was done; where shall we place His being slain? tell me. For if His birth is called "all this," what might His being crucified, and shedding His blood, and giving Himself to us for a spiritual feast and banquet, be called? Let us therefore give thanks to Him continually, and let this precede our words and deeds. And let us give thanks not only for our own good things, but also for those of others; for in this way we shall be able to destroy envy, and to bind love fast and make it more genuine. For you will not be able to envy those for whom you give thanks to the Master. Wherefore also the priest bids us give thanks for the whole world, for those of former times, for those of the present, for those who were before us, for those who shall be after us, when that sacrifice is set forth. For this releases us from the earth, and translates us to heaven, and makes angels of men. For they too, forming a choir, give thanks to God for the good things that have come to us, saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And what is this to us, who are not on earth, nor are men? Most certainly it is to us; for we have been taught to love our fellow-servants, so as to consider their good things as our own. 4. Therefore Paul also in all his Epistles gives thanks for the good deeds of the world. Let us therefore give thanks continually for our own things and for those of others, for small things and for great things. For even if what is given be small, it becomes great by being given by God; or rather, nothing from Him is small, not only because it is bestowed by Him, but also by its very nature. And to pass over all other things, which surpass the sand in number; what is equal to the economy which was wrought for our sakes? For what was more precious to Him than all things, His only-begotten Son, this He gave for us His enemies; and not only did He give Him, but after giving Him He also set Him before us as a table, Himself doing all things for us, both the giving, and the making us thankful for these things. For since man is for the most part ungrateful, He everywhere undertakes and provides for us. And what He did in the case of the Jews, reminding them of His benefactions by places and times and festivals, this He has also wrought here, by the manner of the sacrifice casting us into a perpetual remembrance of the benefaction for these things. Thus no one has been so zealous that we should be approved and great and grateful in all things, as the God who made us. For this reason He often benefits us even when we are unwilling, and for the most part without our knowing it. And if you wonder at what has been said, not

176

αὐτὴ ἡ κή 57.331 ρυξις, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν μετὰ ταῦτα εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν· πρὸς γὰρ τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης ὁ λόγος ἐξέβη τῆς εὐσεβείας. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐννοοῦντες καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντα πληρῶμεν εἰς τοὺς πλησίον, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ διαπαντὸς εὐχαριστῶμεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον, ἔργῳ τῆς εὐεργεσίας αὐτοῦ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπολαύοντας τὴν ἡμέραν, μηδὲ λόγῳ χάριν ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα τῆς ὁμολογίας πάλιν ἡμῖν τὴν ὠφέλειαν φερούσης. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς δεῖται τῶν ἡμετέρων τινὸς, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς δεόμεθα τῶν ἐκείνου ἁπάντων. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ εὐχαριστία ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲν προστίθησιν, ἡμᾶς δὲ οἰκειοτέρους αὐτῷ κατασκευάζει. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων εἰς μνήμην λαβόντες εὐεργεσίας, θερμαινόμεθα μειζόνως τῷ φίλτρῳ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦ ∆εσπότου μεμνημένοι διηνεκῶς τῶν κατορθωμάτων τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς, σπουδαιότεροι πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐκείνου ἐσόμεθα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε. Φυλακὴ γὰρ εὐεργεσίας ἀρίστη ἡ τῆς εὐεργεσίας μνήμη, καὶ διηνεκὴς εὐχαριστία. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ φρικώδη μυστήρια, καὶ πολλῆς γέμοντα τῆς σωτηρίας, τὰ καθ' ἑκάστην τελούμενα σύναξιν, Εὐχαριστία καλεῖται, ὅτι πολλῶν ἐστιν εὐεργετημάτων ἀνάμνησις, καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας ἐνδείκνυται, καὶ διὰ πάντων παρασκευάζει εὐχαριστεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ γεννηθῆναι ἐκ παρθένου θαῦμα μέγα, καὶ ἐκπληττόμενος ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἔλεγε, Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονε· τὸ καὶ σφαγῆναι ποῦ θήσομεν; εἰπέ μοι. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ γεννηθῆναι τοῦτο ὅλον καλεῖται, τὸ σταυρωθῆναι, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκχεῖν, καὶ τὸ ἑαυτὸν δοῦναι ἡμῖν εἰς ἑστίασιν καὶ εὐωχίαν πνευματικὴν, τί ἂν κληθείη; Εὐχαριστῶμεν τοίνυν αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς, καὶ ῥημάτων καὶ ἔργων τῶν ἡμετέρων προηγείσθω τοῦτο. Εὐχαριστῶμεν δὲ μὴ ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀγαθῶν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὴν βασκανίαν ἀνελεῖν δυνησόμεθα, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπισφίγξαι καὶ γνησιωτέραν ποιῆσαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνήσῃ βασκῆναι λοιπὸν ἐκείνοις, ὑπὲρ ὧν εὐχαριστεῖς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὑπὲρ τῶν προτέρων, ὑπὲρ τῶν νῦν, ὑπὲρ τῶν γενηθέντων ἔμπροσθεν, ὑπὲρ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐσομένων εἰς ἡμᾶς εὐχαριστεῖν κελεύει, τῆς θυσίας προκειμένης ἐκείνης. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπαλλάττει, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μετατίθησι, καὶ ἀγγέλους ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι, χορὸν στησάμενοι, ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀγαθῶν εὐχαριστοῦσι τῷ Θεῷ, λέγοντες· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπους; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς· οὕτω γὰρ ἐπαιδεύθημεν τοὺς συνδούλους φιλεῖν, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων ἀγαθὰ ἡμέτερα εἶναι νομίζειν. δʹ. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος πανταχοῦ τῶν Ἐπιστολῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης εὐχαριστεῖ κατορθωμάτων. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, καὶ ὑπὲρ μικρῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ μεγάλων διηνεκῶς εὐχαριστῶμεν. Κἂν γὰρ μικρὸν ᾗ τὸ δοθὲν, μέγα γίνεται τῷ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδόσθαι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲν μικρὸν τῶν παρ' ἐκείνου, οὐ τῷ παρ' ἐκείνου μόνον παρέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ φύσει. Καὶ ἵνα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα παρῶ, ἃ τὴν ἄμμον νικᾷ τῷ πλήθει· τί ἴσον τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενομέ 57.332 νης οἰκονομίας; Ὃ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ τιμιώτερον ἁπάντων, ὁ μονογενὴς Παῖς, τοῦτον ἔδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν· καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὸ δοῦναι τράπεζαν ἡμῖν αὐτὸν παρέθηκε, πάντα αὐτὸς τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ποιῶν, καὶ τὸ δοῦναι, καὶ τὸ εὐχαρίστους ὑπὲρ τούτων ποιῆσαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἀχάριστός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, πανταχοῦ αὐτὸς ἀναδέχεται καὶ κατασκευάζει τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐποίησεν, ἀπὸ τόπων καὶ χρόνων καὶ ἑορτῶν ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰργάσατο, ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς θυσίας εἰς διηνεκῆ τῆς ὑπὲρ τούτων εὐεργεσίας μνήμην ἡμᾶς ἐμβάλλων. Οὕτως οὐδεὶς ἐσπούδακε δοκίμους γενέσθαι καὶ μεγάλους καὶ διὰ πάντων εὐγνώμονας, ὡς ὁ ποιήσας ἡμᾶς Θεός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖ πολλάκις, καὶ ἀγνοοῦντας τὰ πλείονα. Εἰ δὲ θαυμάζεις τὸ εἰρημένον, οὐκ