VII. (head survives)
And regarding prayer for the sun to rise, this must be said. There is something up to even the sun, with it praising God together with the moon — praise him, it says, sun and moon. And evidently the moon's too, and consequently all the stars': for praise him, it says, all stars and light.
As we said God uses each earthly one's 'up to us' for some earthly need, appointing them fittingly, so we must suppose he appointed the whole heavenly world and the stars' harmonious course and motion for the whole by the sun and moon and stars' 'up to us' — untransgressing(?) and firm and stable(?) and wise. And if I pray not in vain concerning another's 'up to us,' much more concerning the 'up to us' of the stars dancing in heaven savingly for the whole. Though one may say of earthly things that certain impressions arising from surroundings provoke our instability or our better-inclining to do or say this or that — but for the heavenly, what arising impression could dislodge and shift, from its world-beneficial course, each of those having such a soul fitted by reason, with motion from their own cause(?) and using such an aetherial, purest body?
Greek (GCS)
§1. Καὶ πρὸς τὸ περὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνατέλλειν τὸν ἥλιον εὐχῆς ταῦτα λεκτέον. ἔστι τι καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν, καὶ αὐτοῦ αἰνοῦντος μετὰ τῆς σελήνης τὸν θεόν· αἰνεῖτε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη· δῆλον δ᾽ ὅτι καὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ ἀκολούθως πάντων τῶν ἄστρων· αἰνεῖτε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸ φῶς. §2 (head inline/lost). ὥσπερ οὖν εἰρήκαμεν τῷ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἑκάστου τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καταχρώμενον τὸν θεὸν εἴς τινα χρείαν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς κατατεταχέναι εἰς δέον αὐτά, οὕτως ὑποληπτέον τῷ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἄστρων, ἀπαραβάτῳ(?) καὶ βεβαίῳ ὄντι καὶ σταθερῷ(?) καὶ σοφῷ, διατεταχέναι πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων ἁρμονίως τῷ παντὶ πορείαν καὶ κίνησιν. καὶ εἰ περὶ τοῦ ἐφ᾽ ἑτέρου μὴ μάτην εὔχομαι, πολλῷ πλέον περὶ τοῦ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ σωτηρίως τῷ παντὶ χορευόντων ἀστέρων. καίτοι γε ἔστιν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ὅτι τοιαίδε τινὲς προσγενόμεναι ἐκ τῶν περιεστώτων φαντασίαι προκαλοῖνται τὸ ἀβέβαιον ἡμῶν ἢ τὸ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ῥεπτικὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ἢ εἰπεῖν τάδε τινὰ ἢ τάδε· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ποία δύναται ἐγγενομένη φαντασία ἐκστῆσαι καὶ μετακινῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς(?) ὠφελίμου τῷ κόσμῳ πορείας ἕκαστον τῶν τοιαύτην ψυχὴν ὑπὸ λόγου κατηρτισμένην καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὐτῶν αἰτίαν(?) ἐχόντων καὶ τοιούτῳ σώματι αἰθερίῳ καὶ καθαρωτάτῳ χρωμένων;