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His angels. Therefore, one must become an angel, and so give praise. Let us not then think this praise is a simple thing; but before our mouth, let our life sound it forth, and before our tongue, let our conduct cry it out. Thus even when silent we can hymn God; thus even when speaking we shall produce a melody in harmony with our life. But not only this is to be seen from the psalm, but also that it leads all to harmony, and establishes the whole choir. For it does not address one or two, but the whole people. And just as Christ, leading us into concord and love, in the prayers commanded that the prayer be made in common, and that from the whole Church as from one person we say, Our Father; and, Give us this day our daily bread; and, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One; everywhere using the plural name, and commanding each one, whether he prays by himself, or in common, to offer up prayer also for his brethren; so also the Prophet calls all together to the harmony of prayer, and says: Praise the name of the Lord. What then does the addition of "the name" mean? It is especially indicative of the disposition of the one speaking; but it also hints at something else. What is that? That His name be glorified through us, so that it might appear praiseworthy also through our life; for it is such by nature; but He wishes this praise to shine forth also through our conduct. And that you may learn that this is so, see what follows 55.301; for he adds, "Blessed," he says, "be the name of the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." What are you saying? Is it not blessed, unless you pray? Do you see that he speaks not of the blessing that belongs to Him, and is inherent in His nature, but of that which comes through men? Concerning this Paul also writes, saying: Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit. He therefore is both high, and great, and praiseworthy in Himself; but He becomes such also among men, when those who serve Him display such a life, that all who see them bless the Master. This also Christ commanded us always to say in prayer when we pray: Hallowed be thy name; that is, may it be glorified also through our life. For just as it is blasphemed when we conduct ourselves badly, so it is glorified, and blessed, and hallowed, when we care for virtue. What he says, therefore, is this: Deem us worthy to live a virtuous life always, so that your name may be blessed also through us. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Do you see him already striking the prelude to the new way of life, and opening up the nobility of the Church? For no longer in Palestine, nor in Judea, but everywhere in the inhabited world. And when did this happen, except when our affairs flourished? For in ancient times it was not only not blessed in Palestine, but it was even blasphemed on account of the Jews dwelling in it. For because of you my name is blasphemed, he says, among the Gentiles. But now it is hymned everywhere in the inhabited world. Which indeed another prophet also declared, saying: The Lord will appear, and will destroy all the gods of the nations, and they shall worship Him, each one from his own place. And another again: Because among us also the doors shall be shut, and my altar shall not be kindled for nothing; for from the rising of the sun even to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice. 2. Do you see how he suppressed and put an end to the Jewish practices, and extended the way of life of the Church to all the inhabited world, and proclaimed a new worship? For he who these things
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ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε ἄγγελον δεῖ γενέσθαι, καὶ οὕτως αἰνεῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἁπλῶς τὸν αἶνον τοῦτον εἶναι νομίσωμεν· ἀλλὰ πρὸ τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν ὁ βίος αὐτὸν ἠχείτω, καὶ πρὸ τῆς γλώττης ἡ πολιτεία βοάτω. Οὕτω καὶ σιωπῶντες δυνάμεθα τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνεῖν· οὕτω καὶ φθεγγόμενοι σύμφωνον τῷ βίῳ τὴν μελῳδίαν ἐργασόμεθα. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ εἰς συμφωνίαν πάντας ἄγει, καὶ ὁλόκληρον τὸν χορὸν ἵστησι. Οὐ γὰρ ἑνὶ καὶ δύο διαλέγεται, ἀλλ' ὁλοκλήρῳ δήμῳ. Καὶ καθάπερ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐνάγων ἡμᾶς εἰς ὁμόνοιαν καὶ ἀγάπην, ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς κοινὴν ἐπέταξε ποιεῖσθαι τὴν εὐχὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πάσης ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς προσώπου λέγειν, Πάτερ ἡμῶν· καὶ, Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν, τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· καὶ, Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν· καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ Πονηροῦ· πανταχοῦ τῷ πληθυντικῷ κεχρημένος ὀνόματι, καὶ κελεύων ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ, κἂν καθ' ἑαυτὸν εὔχηται, κἂν κοινῇ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὐχὴν ἀναφέρειν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Προφήτης κοινῇ πάντας εἰς τὴν συμφωνίαν καλεῖ τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ λέγει· Αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Τί οὖν βούλεται ἡ προσθήκη τοῦ ὀνόματος; Μάλιστα μὲν τῆς διαθέσεως παραστατικόν ἐστι τοῦ λέγοντος· αἰνίττεται δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὥστε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ δοξάζεσθαι δι' ἡμῶν, ὥστε αἰνετὸν φαίνεσθαι καὶ διὰ τοῦ βίου τοῦ ἡμετέρου· ἔστι γὰρ φύσει τοιοῦτον· βούλεται δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἡμῶν τὸν αἶνον τοῦτον διαλάμπειν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅρα τὸ 55.301 ἑξῆς· ἐπάγει γὰρ, Εἴη, φησὶ, τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Τί λέγεις; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν εὐλογημένον, ἐὰν μὴ σὺ εὔξῃ; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῆς εὐλογίας λέγει τῆς αὐτῷ προσούσης, καὶ τῇ φύσει αὐτοῦ συγκεκληρωμένης, ἀλλὰ τῆς διὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γινομένης; Περὶ ταύτης καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων λέγει· ∆οξάσατε δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν. Αὐτὸς τοίνυν καὶ ὑψηλός ἐστι, καὶ μέγας, καὶ αἰνετὸς καθ' ἑαυτόν· γίνεται δὲ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοιοῦτος, ὅταν οἱ δουλεύοντες αὐτῷ τοιοῦτον ἐπιδεικνύωνται βίον, ὡς πάντας τοὺς ὁρῶντας αὐτοὺς εὐλογεῖν τὸν ∆εσπότην. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ ἐκέλευσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς ἀεὶ λέγειν εὐχομένους· Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· τουτέστι, καὶ διὰ τοῦ βίου τοῦ ἡμετέρου δοξασθήτω. Ὥσπερ γὰρ βλασφημεῖται, κακῶς πολιτευομένων ἡμῶν, οὕτω δοξάζεται, καὶ εὐλογεῖται, καὶ ἁγιάζεται, ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελουμένων. Ὃ τοίνυν λέγει τοῦτό ἐστι· ∆ιαπαντὸς καταξίωσον ἡμᾶς ἐνάρετον βίον ζῇν, ὡς εὐλογητὸν εἶναι τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ δι' ἡμῶν. Ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν αἰνετὸν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Ὁρᾷς τὴν καινὴν ἤδη προανακρουόμενον αὐτὸν πολιτείαν, καὶ παρανοίγοντα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν εὐγένειαν; Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ, οὔτε ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης. Πότε δὲ τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἢ ὅτε τὰ ἡμέτερα ἤνθησεν; Ὡς τό γε παλαιὸν οὐ μόνον οὐκ ηὐλογεῖτο ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐβλασφημεῖτο διὰ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντας Ἰουδαίους. ∆ι' ὑμᾶς γὰρ τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Νυνὶ δὲ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὑμνεῖται. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἄλλος προφήτης δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐπιφανήσεται Κύριος, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἕτερος πάλιν· ∆ιότι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν συγκλεισθήσονται θύραι, καὶ οὐκ ἀνάψεται τὸ θυσιαστήριόν μου δωρεάν· ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσάγεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρά. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς κατέστειλε τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ, καὶ ἔπαυσε, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν πολιτείαν ἐξέτεινε, καὶ λατρείαν προανεκήρυξεν; Ὁ γὰρ ταῦτα