XI. (printed 'XI 1.' with §1)
Not only the High Priest co-prays with the genuine prayers, but also the angels rejoicing in heaven — over one sinner repenting or over ninety-nine righteous needing no repentance — and the souls of the departed saints. This is shown when Raphael offers rational worship to God for Tobit and Sarah (for after both prayed: 'Heard,' says Scripture, 'was the prayer of both before the glory of the great Raphael, and he was sent to heal the two.' And Raphael himself, revealing his angelic commission to both by God's command, says: 'And now, when you prayed, you and Sarah your bride, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the Holy One.' And a little later: 'I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who bring up the prayers of the saints and enter before the glory of the Holy One'). At any rate Raphael's word: 'Prayer with fasting and alms and righteousness is good.' And Jeremiah — appearing in Maccabees, eminent in gray hair and glory, so that his eminence was something marvelous and most magnificent, holding out his right hand and giving Judas a golden sword — another departed saint bore witness, saying: 'This is he who prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, God's prophet.'
It would be absurd — with knowledge now manifest to the worthy through a mirror, in an enigma, but then revealed face to face — not to conceive the analogy for the remaining virtues, perfected then properly in those prepared in this life. One chiefest virtue by the divine word is love of neighbor — which we must conceive present far more in departed saints toward life's strugglers than among those in human weakness co-struggling with inferiors: not only here, where 'if one member suffers, all members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all members rejoice with it' holds among brother-lovers. Fitting too for love beyond this life to say: 'The care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I do not burn?' And this, with Christ confessing that like each ailing saint he likewise ails, is in prison, goes naked and abroad, hungers and thirsts. Who reading the Gospel does not know Christ reckoning what befalls believers, by reference to himself, as his own sufferings?
If God's angels came to Jesus and ministered to him — and it is not fitting to conceive the angels' ministry to Jesus as lasting a short time of his bodily sojourn among men, with him still amid believers not as reclining but as ministering — how many angels, likely, minister to Jesus, who wants to gather Jerusalem's children one by one(?) and collect the diaspora, saving God-fearers and callers, co-working the church's growth and multitude more than the apostles: as some angels presiding over churches are named by John in Revelation? For not in vain do God's angels ascend and descend upon the Son of Man, seen by eyes lit with gnosis's light.
At prayer-time itself, then, reminded by the pray-er of what he needs, they do what they can, having received it as universal command. Use some such image for this discourse, to admit what we conceived: suppose a physician of righteousness, caring for a sick pray-er about health, knowing how one must heal the disease so-and-so's prayer reports. Evidently he will be moved to heal the pray-er — supposing, not idly, that this very thing came into God's mind, who heard the prayer of one who prayed for release from disease. Or one of the rich in life's needs in excess, [sharing?] ... interceding with God — evidently he too will fulfill prayer's [petitions?] to the [asker]. [Rough tail.] As servant becoming of the father's counsel who brought together at prayer-time the giver with the pray-er — since rightness(?) of choice cannot overlook the asker of these things.
As these must not be thought to happen by chance, when they happen — with the counter of all the saints' head-hairs harmoniously bringing together at prayer-time the future servant-benefactor, hearing, to the faithful asker — so we must suppose angels overseeing and ministering to God sometimes gather in presence to some pray-er, to breathe with what he asked. And each one's angel — even of the church's little ones(?) — ever beholding the face of the Father in heaven and beholding our Creator's divinity, co-prays with us and co-works, where possible, in what we pray.
Greek (GCS)
§1. Οὐ μόνος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τοῖς γνησίως εὐχομένοις συνεύχεται ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ χαίροντες ἄγγελοι, ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα δικαίοις, οἳ οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσι μετανοίας, αἵ τε τῶν προκεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ψυχαί. ἅτινα δηλοῦται, Ῥαφαὴλ μὲν προσφέροντος περὶ Τωβὴτ καὶ Σάρρας λογικὴν ἱερουργίαν τῷ θεῷ (μετὰ γὰρ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀμφοτέρων· εἰσηκούσθη, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, προσευχὴ ἀμφοτέρων ἐνώπιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Ῥαφαήλ, καὶ ἀπεστάλη ἰάσασθαι τοὺς δύο· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ῥαφαήλ, φανερῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ἀγγέλου τὴν κατὰ πρόσταγμα τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους οἰκονομίαν, φησί· καὶ νῦν ὅτε προσηύξω σὺ καὶ ἡ νύμφη σου Σάρρα, ἐγὼ προσήγαγον τὸ μνημόσυνον τῆς προσευχῆς ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἁγίου· καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα· ἐγώ εἰμι Ῥαφαήλ, εἷς τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων, οἳ προσαναφέρουσι τὰς προσευχὰς τῶν ἁγίων καὶ εἰσπορεύονται ἐνώπιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ ἁγίου). τὸν λόγον γοῦν τοῦ Ῥαφαὴλ, ἀγαθὸν προσευχὴ μετὰ νηστείας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης. Ἱερεμίου δὲ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Μακκαβαϊκοῖς ἐπιφαινομένου, πολιᾷ καὶ δόξῃ διαφέροντος, ὡς θαυμαστήν τινα καὶ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτην εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπεροχήν, καὶ προτείνοντος τὴν δεξιὰν παραδιδόντος τε τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ῥομφαίαν χρυσῆν, ἐμαρτύρει ἄλλος ἅγιος προκεκοιμημένος λέγων· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προσευχόμενος πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως, Ἱερεμίας ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτης. §2. καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον, τῆς γνώσεως δι᾽ ἐσόπτρου καὶ ἐν αἰνίγματι ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τοῖς ἀξίοις φανερουμένης τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ἀποκαλυπτομένης, μὴ τὸ ἀνάλογον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν νοεῖν, τότε κυρίως τῶν προπαρεσκευασμένων ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τελειουμένων. μία δὲ κυριωτάτη τῶν ἀρετῶν κατὰ τὸν θεῖον λόγον ἐστὶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπη· ἣν πολλῷ μᾶλλον προσεῖναι τοῖς προκεκοιμημένοις ἁγίοις πρὸς τοὺς ἐν βίῳ ἀγωνιζομένους ἀναγκαῖον νοεῖν παρὰ τοῖς(?) ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἀσθενείᾳ τυγχάνουσι καὶ συναγωνιζομένοις τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις, οὐ μόνον ἐνταῦθα τοῦ εἰ πάσχει μέλος ἕν, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη, καὶ εἰ δοξάζεται μέλος ἕν, συγχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη τοῖς φιλαδέλφοις ἐγγινομένου· πρέπον γάρ ἐστι καὶ τῇ τῶν ἔξω τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἀγάπῃ λέγειν· ἡ μέριμνα πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐχ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμολογοῦντος καθ᾽ ἕκαστον τῶν ἀσθενούντων ἁγίων ἀσθενεῖν ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ εἶναι καὶ γυμνητεύειν ξενιτεύειν τε καὶ πεινᾶν καὶ διψᾶν· τίς γὰρ ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τῇ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἀναφορᾷ τῶν συμβαινόντων τοῖς πιστεύουσιν λογιζόμενον τὸν Χριστὸν ἴδια εἶναι παθήματα; §3. εἰ δὲ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ προσελθόντες τῷ Ἰησοῦ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμᾶς πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον νοεῖν γεγονέναι τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν διακονίαν τῆς σωματικῆς αὐτοῦ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδημίας, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἔτι ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πιστευόντων οὐχ ὡς ἀνακειμένου ἀλλὰ ὡς διακονοῦντος· πόσους εἰκὸς ἀγγέλους διακονοῦντας τῷ Ἰησοῦ, βουλομένῳ συνάγειν τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καθ᾽ ἕνα ἕκαστον(?) καὶ ἀθροίζειν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς διασπορᾶς τούς τε φοβουμένους καὶ ἐπικαλουμένους σῴζοντι, μᾶλλον τῶν ἀποστόλων συνεργεῖν τῇ αὐξήσει καὶ τῷ πληθυσμῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὡς καὶ προεστῶτάς τινας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἀγγέλους λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει; οὐ γὰρ μάτην οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναβαίνουσι καὶ καταβαίνουσι ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὁρώμενοι τοῖς τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως πεφωτισμένοις ὀφθαλμοῖς. §4. καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτὸν οὖν τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς ὑπομιμνησκόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐχομένου, ὧν δεῖται ὁ εὐχόμενος, ἃ δύνανται ὡς καθολικὴν εἰληφότες ἐντολὴν ἐπιτελοῦσι. χρηστέον δὲ εἰκόνι τινὶ τοιαύτῃ εἰς τὸν λόγον τοῦτον πρὸς τὸ παραδέξασθαι τὸ νενοημένον ἡμῖν. παρέστω τις ἰατρὸς δικαιοσύνης πεφροντικὼς εὐχομένῳ κάμνοντι περὶ τῆς ὑγείας, ἐπιστήμην ἔχων τοῦ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον θεραπεῦσαι περὶ οὗ ὁ δεῖνα ἀναφέρει τὴν εὐχὴν νοσήματος· φανερὸν δὴ ὅτι κινηθήσεται οὗτος πρὸς τὸ ἰάσασθαι τὸν εὐξάμενον, τάχα οὐ μάτην ὑπολαβὼν ὅτι τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ γέγονεν ἐν νῷ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπακούσαντος τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς νόσου γενέσθαι αὐτῷ εὐξαμένου. ἢ τῶν κεκτημένων τις τὰ τῆς τοῦ βίου χρείας ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ κοι[νὴν(?) — scan breaks; sense: a rich man with abundant needs sharing] ἔντευξιν τῷ θεῷ· δῆλον δὴ ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐκπληρώσει τῷ [αἰτοῦντι(?)]. [Tail rough; sense: the giver fulfills prayer to the asker.] ὡς(?) ὑπηρέτης γινόμενος τῆς πατρικῆς βουλῆς τοῦ συναγαγόντος κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς τὸν παρασχεῖν δυνάμενον ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τῷ εὐξομένῳ, διὰ τὸ δεξιὸν(?) τῆς προαιρέσεως μὴ δυνάμενον παρορᾶν τὸν δεδεημένον τῶνδέ τινων. §5. ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα οὐ κατὰ συντυχίαν νομιστέον γίνεσθαι, ὅτε γίνεται, τοῦ ἠριθμηχότος πάσας τὰς τρίχας τῆς τῶν ἁγίων κεφαλῆς ἁρμονίως συναγαγόντος παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς τὸν ὑπηρέτην ἐσόμενον τῷ δεομένῳ τῆς εὐποιΐας τῆς ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰσακούοντα, τῷ πιστῶς δεδεημένῳ· οὕτως ὑποληπτέον συνάγεσθαί ποτε τῶν ἐπισκοπούντων καὶ λειτουργούντων τῷ θεῷ ἀγγέλων παρουσίαν τῷδέ τινι τῶν εὐχομένων, ἵνα συμπνεύσωσιν οἷς ὁ εὐχόμενος ἠξίωσεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἑκάστου ἄγγελος, καὶ τῶν μικρῶν(?) τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, διὰ παντὸς βλέπων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐνορῶν τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς τὴν θειότητα, συνεύχεταί τε ἡμῖν καὶ συμπράττει ἐν οἷς δυνατόν ἐστι περὶ ὧν εὐχόμεθα.