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of peace, for things that are good and profitable, for a Christian end, for the evening and the night to be peaceful and without sin, and all the time of our life to be without condemnation, let us ask. Let us commend ourselves and one another to the living God through his Christ. And the bishop, praying, let him say: O God without beginning and without end, the maker and provider of all things through Christ, but before all, his God and Father, the Lord of the Spirit, and king of things intelligible and sensible, who made the day for works of light and the night for the repose of our weakness; “For yours is the day and yours is the night, you have prepared the light and the sun.” You yourself also now, O Master, lover of mankind and all-good, graciously accept this our evening thanksgiving. You who have led us through the length of the day and brought us to the beginnings of the night, guard us through your Christ; grant a peaceful evening and a night without sin and without fantasy, and count us worthy of eternal life through your Christ, through whom to you be glory, honor, and power in the Holy Spirit unto the ages; amen. And let the deacon say: Bow your heads for the laying on of hands. And the bishop, praying, let him say: O God of the fathers and Lord of mercy, who by your wisdom created man, a rational animal beloved by God among those on earth, and gave him to rule over the things upon the earth, and by your will appointed rulers and priests, the one for the security of life, the other for lawful worship; You yourself now also be inclined, O Lord Almighty, and make your face to shine upon your servants, who have bowed the neck of their heart, and bless them through Christ, through whom you have enlightened us with the light of knowledge and revealed yourself to us, through whom to you also is due worthy worship from every rational and holy nature in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, unto the ages; amen. And let the deacon say: Go forth in peace. Likewise also at dawn, the deacon, after the morning psalm has been said and he has dismissed the catechumens and the energumens and those being baptized and those in penance, and has made the required address, so that we do not say the same things again, let him add after "Save them, O God, and raise them up by your grace": Let us ask of the Lord his mercies and his compassions, for this morning and the day to be peaceful and

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τῆς εἰρήνης, τὰ καλὰ καὶ συμφέροντα, χριστιανὰ τὰ τέλη, τὴν ἑσπέραν καὶ τὴν νύκτα εἰρηνικὴν καὶ ἀναμάρτητον, καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἀκατάγνωστον αἰτησώ μεθα· ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀλλήλους τῷ ζῶντι Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ παραθώμεθα. Καὶ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐπευχόμενος λεγέτω· Ὁ ἄναρχος Θεὸς καὶ ἀτελεύτητος, ὁ τῶν ὅλων ποιητὴς διὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ κηδεμών, πρὸ δὲ πάντων αὐτοῦ Θεὸς καὶ Πατήρ, ὁ τοῦ Πνεύματος Κύριος καὶ τῶν νοητῶν καὶ αἰσθητῶν βασιλεύς, ὁ ποιήσας ἡμέραν πρὸς ἔργα φωτὸς καὶ νύκτα εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν· «Σὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ νύξ, σὺ κατηρτίσω φαῦσιν καὶ ἥλιον». Aὐτὸς καὶ νῦν, δέσποτα φιλάνθρωπε καὶ πανά γαθε, εὐμενῶς πρόσδεξαι τὴν ἑσπερινὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἡμῶν ταύτην. Ὁ διαγαγὼν ἡμᾶς τὸ μῆκος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀγαγὼν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτός, φύλαξον ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου· εἰρηνικὴν παράσχου τὴν ἑσπέραν καὶ τὴν νύκτα ἀναμάρτητον καὶ ἀφαντασιάστον καὶ καταξίωσον ἡμᾶς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου, δι' οὗ σοι δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ κράτος ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν. Καὶ ὁ διάκονος λεγέτω· Κλίνατε τῇ χειροθεσίᾳ Καὶ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος εὐχόμενος λεγέτω· Θεὲ πατέρων καὶ Κύριε τοῦ ἐλέους, ὁ τῇ σοφίᾳ σου κατασκευάσας ἄνθρωπον, τὸ λογικὸν ζῷον τὸ θεοφιλὲς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ δοὺς αὐτῷ τὸ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς χθονὸς ἄρχειν, καὶ καταστήσας γνώμῃ σῇ ἄρχοντας καὶ ἱερεῖς, τοὺς μὲν πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τῆς ζωῆς, τοὺς δὲ πρὸς λατρείαν ἔννομον· αὐτὸς καὶ νῦν ἐπικάμφθητι, Κύριε παντοκράτορ, καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους σου, τοὺς κάμψαντας αὐχένα καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐλόγησον αὐτοὺς διὰ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐφώτισας ἡμᾶς φῶς γνώσεως καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας ἡμῖν σαυτόν, δι' οὗ σοὶ καὶ ἡ ἐπάξιος ὀφείλεται προσκύνησις παρὰ πάσης λογικῆς καὶ ἁγίας φύσεως ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ τῷ παρακλήτῳ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν. Καὶ ὁ διάκονος λεγέτω· Προέλθετε ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ὡσαύτως καὶ ὄρθρου ὁ διάκονος μετὰ τὸ ·ηθῆναι τὸν ὀρθρινὸν καὶ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτὸν τοὺς κατηχουμένους καὶ χειμαζομένους καὶ βαπτιζομένους καὶ τοὺς ἐν μετανοίᾳ καὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην ποιήσασθαι προσφώνησιν, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν λέγωμεν τὰ αὐτά, ἐπιφερέτω μετὰ τὸ Σῶσον αὐτούς, ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἀνάστησον ἐν τῇ χάριτί σου· Aἰτησώμεθα παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς, τὸν ὄρθρον τοῦτον καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν εἰρηνικὴν καὶ