21.
When praying, then, let us not babble but theologize. We babble when, without blaming ourselves or the words of prayer we send up, we speak corrupt works or words or thoughts — lowly and blameworthy things, foreign to the Lord's incorruption. The babbler in his praying is already in a worse and harsher synagogue-condition than those named before — in a way worse than the corners in the streets — preserving not even a trace of the hypocrisy of the good. For, according to the word of the Gospel, only 'the heathen babble,' who have not even an impression of great or heavenly petitions, sending up every prayer about bodily and outward things. The one who asks lowly things of the Lord who dwells in heaven and above the heights of the heavens is likened to a babbling heathen.
And the wordy seems to babble, and the babbler to be wordy. For nothing of matter and bodies is one: each thing deemed one is split and hewn apart and divided into many, having lost unity. For the good is one, but base things are many; and truth is one, but falsehoods are many; and true righteousness is one, but many are the conditions that play the hypocrite toward it; and the wisdom of God is one, but many are the wisdoms 'of this age' and 'of the rulers of this age' that are being brought to nought; and the Word of God is one, but many are the words foreign to God. That is why no one shall escape 'sin' 'from wordiness,' and no one who thinks to be heard 'from wordiness' can be heard. So our prayers must not be likened to heathen who babble or are wordy or do whatever they do 'after the likeness of the serpent.' For the God of the saints 'knows' 'before' what things his sons 'have need of,' since they are worthy of the Father's knowledge. But if anyone does not know God, he does not know the things of God either — and he does not know 'what need' he has: for the things he thinks he needs are wide of the mark. But he who has contemplated what better and more divine things he lacks, known by God, shall obtain what he contemplated, known to the Father even before the asking. So much, then, for what is said before the prayer in Matthew; now let us contemplate also what is declared by the prayer.
Greek (GCS)
μὴ βαττολογήσωμεν ἀλλὰ ϑεο- λογήσωμεν. βαττολογοῦμεν δὲ, ὅτε μὴ μωμοσκοποῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἢ τοὺς ἀναπεμπομένους τῆς εὐχῆς λόγους λέγομεν τὰ διεφϑαρμένα ἔργα ἢ λόγους ἢ νοήματα, ταπεινὰ τυγχάνοντα καὶ ἐπίληπτα, τῆς ἀφϑαρσίας ἀλλότρια τοῦ κυρίου. ὁ μέντοι βαττολογῶν ἐν τῷ εῦ- χεσϑαι ἤδη καὶ ἐν τῇ χείρονε τῶν προειρημένων ἡμῖν συναγωγικῇ ἐστι καταστάσει τε (xal) χαλεπωτέρᾳ τῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις γωνιῶν 10 ὁδῷ, οὐδὲ ἴχνος σῴζων κἂν ὑποχρίσεως ἀγαϑοῦ. βαττολογοῦσι γὰρ κατὰ τὴ» λέξιν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μόνοι „ol ἐϑνικοὶ,"“ οὐδὲ φαντασίαν μεγάλων ἔχοντες ἢ ἐπουρανίων αἰτημάτων, πᾶσαν εὐχὴν (περὶ) τῶν γοῦντε ὁμοιοῦται ὃ τὰ κάτω ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ ὕψη 15 τῶν οὐρανῶν κατοικοῦντος κυρίου αἰτῶν. ἃ. χαὶ ἔοικέ γε 6 πολυλογῶν βαττολογεῖν, καὶ ὁ βαττολογῶν πολυλογεῖν. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕν τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῶν σωμάτων, ἀλλ᾽ ἕχαστον τῶν νομιζομένων ἕν ἔσχισται καὶ διαχέχοπται καὶ διήρηται εἰς πλεί- ova τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀπολωλεχός" ἕν γὰρ τὸ ἀγαϑὸν πολλὰ δὲ τὰ αἰσχρὰ, 0 xal Ev ἡ ἀλήϑεια πολλὰ δὲ τὰ ψευδῆ, καὶ ἕν ἡ ἀληϑὴς δικαιοσύνη, πολλαὶ δὲ ἕξεις ταύτην ὑποχρίνονται, καὶ ἕν ἡ τοῦ ϑεοῦ σοφία, πολλαὶ δὲ αἱ καταργούμεναε „tod αἰῶνος τούτου“ καὶ „av ἀρχόν- των» τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου,“ xal εἷς μὲν ὁ τοῦ ϑεοῦ λόγος, πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀλλότριοι τοῦ ϑεοῦ. διὰ | τοῦτο οὐδεὶς ἐχφεύξεται „auapriav“ 231 3 ἐκ πολυλογίας,“ καὶ οὐδεὶς δοκῶν „ex πολυλογίας“ εἰσαχουσϑήσεσϑαι 5 λέγομεν Del. λέγωμεν TOx.Lond. | 8 ἐν τῷ χείρονι τῶν προειρημένων ἥμῖν συναγωγικῇ ἐστι καταστάσει schreibe ich nach Del. (1 230 Anm. c), ἐν τῷ χείρονι τῶν προειρημένων ἡμῖν συναγωγικῶν [συναγωγικός Ox.] ἐστι, χαταστάσει Ausgg., ἐν τῷ χείρονι τῶν προειρημένων ἡμῖν συναγωγικῶς ἐστι χαταστάσει T | 9 τε (xal) χαλεπωτέρᾳ Lomm., ἢ (oder zal) χαλεπωτέρᾳ Bent. Del. (1 230 Anm. c) τῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις γωνιῶν δόῷ)] τῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατειῶν γωνίαις ἑστώτων vermutet Angl. (bei Del. I 9203) nach Maith. 6, 5 zu gewaltsam | 11 μόνοι Ox.Del. (1 230 Anm. 6) μόνον Angl. (a. a. Ὁ.) μόνην T Lond.Del. | 12 ἔχοντες Ausgg. ἐχόντων ΤΊ (rset) ist mit Bent. Del. (1230 Anm. ἢ) Angl. (a. a. Ὁ.) einzufügen | 15 xvoiov] ϑεοῦ liest Bent. (bei Del. I 230 Anm. g) ohne Grund | 17—21 am Rand: &x’ darunter on von I. H., wahrscheinlich = &xstvo σημειωτέον, T | 19 ἀπολωλεχός schreibe ich mit Lond. u. Wet. (am Rand), ἀπολωλεχότα Del. (1230 Anm. 8), ἀπο- λελωκχότα Ox. Wet.Del. im Text; ἀπολελώχως [80] T | 21 ὑποχρίνονται] ὕπο- χρινόμεναι vermutet Bent. (bei Del. I 230 Anm. ἢ), ὑποχρίνουσα Angl. (a. a. O.). εἰσαχούεσϑαι δύναται. διόπερ οὐχ ὁμοιωτέον ἐστὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐϑνικοῖς βαττολογοῦσιν ἢ πολυλογοῦσιν ἢ ὃ τι δή ποτε πράττουσι «κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ ὄφεως“ „olde γὰρ“ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ϑεὸς, „nano“ ὧν, „av χρείαν" ἔχουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἄξια τυγχάνει τῆς πατρικῆς γνώσεως. εἰ δέ τις ἀγνοεῖ τὸν ϑεὸν, χαὶ τὰ τοῦ ϑεοῦ ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖ δὲ τὰ „av χρείαν“ ἔχει διημαρτη- μένα γάρ ἐστι τὰ (ὧν χρείαν“ ἔχειν νομίζει" ὃ δὲ τεϑεωρηκὼς ὧν ἐστιν ἐνδεὴς χρειττόνων καὶ ϑειοτέρων, γινωσχομένων ὑπὸ ϑεοῦ τεύξεται ὧν τεϑεώρηχε καὶ ἐγνωσμένων τῷ πατρὶ καὶ πρὸ τῆς αἱ- τήσεως. τούτων δὴ εἰς τὰ πρὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ματϑαῖον εὐχῆς εἰρημένων, ἤδη ϑεασώμεϑα καὶ τὰ δηλούμενα ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς.