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Save, O Lord, your people and bless your inheritance, which you have purchased with the precious blood of your Christ, and shepherd them under your right hand and shelter them under your wings, and grant them to finish the good fight, to complete the race, to keep the faith unswervingly, blamelessly, irreproachably, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom to you be glory, honor, and worship in the Holy Spirit for ever and ever; amen. Let the third day rites for the departed be performed with psalms and prayers, on account of him who was raised after three days, and the ninth day rites in remembrance of the living and the departed, and the thirtieth day rites according to the ancient custom; for thus the people mourned Moses, and the annual rites for his memorial. And let alms be given from his substance to the poor for his remembrance. These things we say concerning the godly; for concerning the ungodly, even if you give the world's goods to the poor, you will not profit him at all. For to whom God was an enemy while he lived, it is clear he is so also when he has departed; “for there is no unrighteousness in him.” “For the Lord is righteous and has loved righteousness.” And: “Behold, a man and his work.” And when you are invited to their memorial feasts, dine with good order and the fear of God, as those who are able also to intercede for the departed. For being presbyters and deacons of Christ, you ought always to be sober, both for your own sakes and for others', that you may be able to admonish the disorderly. And the scripture says: “Rulers are prone to anger; let them not drink wine, lest drinking they forget wisdom and not be able to judge rightly.” Therefore the presbyters and deacons are rulers of the Church after God the Almighty and his beloved Son. And this we say, not that they should not drink at all, for that is to despise what was made by God for cheerfulness, but that they should not be disorderly with wine. For the scripture did not say not to drink wine, but what does it say? Not to drink wine to drunkenness. And again: “Thorns grow in the hand of a drunkard.” And this we say not only concerning the clergy, but also concerning every lay Christian, upon whom the name of our Lord Jesus Christ has been called. For to them also it is said: “To whom is woe? To whom is tumult? To whom are unpleasantness and contentions? Whose are the dark eyes? To whom are bruises for no reason? Is it not to those who tarry long at wine, and who seek out where drinking parties are held?” Those who are persecuted for the faith and from city to city
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Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρο νομίαν σου, ἣν περιεποιήσω τῷ τιμίῳ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου, καὶ ποίμανον αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν δεξιάν σου καὶ σκέπασον αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγάς σου, καὶ δὸς αὐτοῖς τὸν ἀγῶνα τελέσαι τὸν καλόν, τὸν δρόμον ἀνῦσαι, τὴν πίστιν τηρῆσαι ἀτρέπτως, ἀμέμπτως, ἀνεγκλήτως, διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ σου Παιδός, δι' οὗ σοὶ δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ σέβας ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν. Ἐπιτελείσθω δὲ τρίτα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ προσευχαῖς διὰ τὸν διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἐγερθέντα, καὶ ἔνατα εἰς ὑπόμνησιν τῶν περιόντων καὶ τῶν κεκοιμη μένων, καὶ τριακοστὰ κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν τύπον· Μωϋσῆν γὰρ οὕτως ὁ λαὸς ἐπένθησεν, καὶ ἐνιαύσια ὑπὲρ μνείας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ διδόσθω ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῦ πένησιν εἰς ἀνάμνησιν αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ περὶ εὐσεβῶν λέγομεν· περὶ γὰρ ἀσεβῶν ἐὰν τὰ τοῦ κόσμου δῷς πένησιν, οὐδὲν ὀνήσεις αὐτόν. Ὣι γὰρ περιόντι ἐχθρὸν ἦν τὸ θεῖον, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ μεταστάντι· «οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἀδικία παρ' αὐτῷ.» «∆ίκαιος γὰρ ὁ Κύριος καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησεν.» Καί· «Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ.» Ἐν δὲ ταῖς μνείαις αὐτῶν καλούμενοι μετὰ εὐταξίας ἑστιᾶσθε καὶ φόβου Θεοῦ, ὡς δυνάμενοι καὶ πρεσβεύειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῶν μεταστάντων. Πρεσβύτεροι γὰρ καὶ διάκονοι Χριστοῦ ὑπάρχοντες, νήφειν ὀφείλετε πάντοτε καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους, ἵνα δύνησθε τοὺς ἀτακτοῦντας νουθετεῖν. Λέγει δὲ ἡ γραφή· «Oἱ δυνάσται θυμώδεις εἰσίν· οἶνον μὴ πινέτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς σοφίας καὶ ὀρθὰ κρίνειν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται.» Oὐκοῦν καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ διάκονοι μετὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα καὶ τὸν ἠγαπημένον αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν δυνάσται ὑπάρχουσι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Τοῦτο δέ φαμεν, οὐχ ἵνα μὴ πίνωσιν, ἄλλως γὰρ ἔστιν ὑβρίσαι τὸ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γενόμενον εἰς εὐφροσύνην, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ παροινῶσιν. Oὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ μὴ πίνειν οἶνον, ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Μὴ πίνειν οἶνον εἰς μέθην. Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἄκανθαι φύονται ἐν χειρὶ μεθύσου.» Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ περὶ τῶν κληρικῶν μόνον φαμέν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ παντὸς λαϊκοῦ χριστιανοῦ, ἐφ' οὑ ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ αὐτοῖς γὰρ εἴρηται· «Τίνι οὐαί; Τίνι θόρυβος; Τίνι ἀηδίαι καὶ λέσχαι; Τίνος πελιδνοὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί; Τίνι συντρίμματα διακενῆς; Oὐ τῶν χρονιζόντων ἐν οἴνῳ καὶ κατασκοπουμένων, ποῦ πότοι γίνονται;» Τοὺς διωκομένους διὰ πίστιν καὶ πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως