Demonstrations 4.6–4.18

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Notice, my beloved, how many mysteries are hidden in that vision Jacob saw. He saw the gate of heaven, which is Christ; he saw the ladder, the mystery of the cross; he anointed the stones, a type of the nations; he vowed tithes to be given to Levi, for in him were hidden the givers of tithes and the receivers of firstfruits; in his loins was Judah, the lion's whelp, in whom lay hidden Christ the King; and in him he prefigured the anointing. The tribes enclosed in his loins vowed [firstfruits] to the Levites; the kings whom he held in his loins exalted his heart; and in him the prophetic spirit saw those who were to come forth from his seed. With only his staff he crossed the Jordan, bearing a wonderful mystery in his hands, namely the sign of the cross of the great Prophet. He set his foot toward the land of the sons of the East, because from it light has risen for the peoples. He came upon a well on whose mouth a stone was laid, which many straining together could not lift. Many shepherds had not been able to remove it to open the well, until Jacob came, who by the power of that Shepherd hidden in his loins lifted the stone and watered his flock. So too many prophets came, and they could not reveal baptism until the great Prophet came, who alone opened it, immersed himself in it, and cried out and said with a kind voice: "Everyone who thirsts, let him come to me and drink." Again, Jacob prayed as he returned from Laban, that he might be rescued from the hands of Esau his brother; and so he prayed and confessed, saying: "With my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now see, I am two companies." O wonderful mystery of our Savior! For when our Lord first came, he went forth [as] a shoot from the root of Jesse, in the likeness of Jacob's rod. And when he returns from his Father at the second coming, he will come again with two companies, one of the people and the other of the nations, as Jacob returned to Isaac his father with two companies. For Jacob returned with eleven of his sons; our Savior is accompanied by eleven disciples, since Judas is not among them. Benjamin was born afterwards, and Jacob had twelve sons; afterwards Tholomaeus too was chosen, and our Savior had twelve apostles. But let this be said of Jacob's prayer.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

What then shall we say of the power of Moses' prayer, which is without limit? Prayer freed him from the hands of Pharaoh and showed him the dwelling of his God. Through it he brought ten plagues on Pharaoh. Again his prayer opened the sea, made the bitter waters sweet, brought down manna, raised up the quail, split the rock so that water flowed. It overcame Amalek, strengthened Joshua, threw Og and Sihon into confusion in battle, sent the wicked down to Sheol, and turned God's wrath away from his people. It broke in pieces the calf of sin, brought the tablets down from the mountain, and made his face shine; and there would be more to tell of Moses' prayer than of Jacob's. Joshua the son of Nun also became powerful with God by his prayer. It split the Jordan, overthrew the walls of Jericho, destroyed Achan, held back the sun and made the moon stand still, routed kings, subdued the land, and gave it to the children of Israel as an inheritance.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Let us go on now to the prayer that Hannah, Samuel's mother, uttered in silence, which became well pleasing before God, opened her barrenness, and took away her reproach, so that she bore a Nazirite and a priest. Samuel himself prayed before his God when he showed a sign to the children of Israel, pointing out their sin in asking for a king. Samuel laid a sacrifice on the altar and made it rain in the days of the wheat harvest. David too prayed before his God and was rescued from the hands of Saul. Again, when he had numbered the people, he prayed and turned wrath and fury from them, when the destroyer was prevailing against them. Asa also prayed, and his prayer showed very great power, when Zerah the Ethiopian came out against him with his army of a thousand thousand; Asa prayed and said: "In this your power will be shown, our God, when you deliver a great people into the hands of a smaller people." And God heard his prayer and sent his angel, who threw them into confusion. So huge forces were overcome by the power of Asa's prayer. Likewise Jehoshaphat his son struck and defeated an army of enemies by his prayer. Hezekiah likewise prayed, and his prayer destroyed one hundred and eighty-five thousand by the hand of the angel, the captain of the hosts. Jonah too prayed to God from the depth of the sea, and he was listened to and heard and kept safe. His prayer opened the abyss, overcame the waves, prevailed over the storm, split the clouds, was carried through the air, opened heaven, and [was brought] to the throne of majesty by the hand of Gabriel … and the depths vomited out the prophet … Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael also prayed, and their prayer conquered the flame, made the power of the fire ineffective, and changed its burning nature; it humbled the king's fury and freed the righteous men. … [Daniel prayed, and the lions, though] most ravenous, [did not] eat the flesh or the bones of the righteous man. The lions stretched out their paws and caught Daniel so that he would not fall to the ground; … [Daniel] said to Darius: "My God sent his angel, who shut the mouths of the lions, and they did not harm me." … and the lions were refreshed, because on account of Daniel they saw light. And when Daniel grew sleepy and wished to sleep, the lions lay down so that he might lie on them and not on the ground. That pit was brighter than the upper room [where he] only at [set] times prayed. Daniel came up unharmed, and his adversaries were thrown in in his place; the mouths of the lions were opened, and they devoured them and crushed their bones. Moreover, his prayer, when the seventy years were complete, brought the captivity back from Babylon. And each of our righteous fathers, when a time of trouble came, took up the weapons of prayer, so as to be rescued from distress by it.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Our Savior too taught prayer in these words: "Pray in secret to him who is hidden; he sees all things." For he says: "Enter your room and pray to your Father [who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret] will reward you." But why, my beloved, did our Savior command this, saying: ["Pray in secret, with the door shut," when we may pray anywhere …]? I will tell you as I have understood it. He said, then: "Pray to your Father in secret, with the door shut." This is, as the Lord's word declares to us: "Pray in secret", in your heart. "And shut the door." What is the door he commands you to shut, if not your mouth? For you are the temple in which Christ dwells, as the Apostle says: "You are the temple of the Lord"; he will enter the inner man, that is, this house, and will cleanse it from all uncleanness, when the gate, which is your mouth, is shut. Otherwise, how will you understand the matter? If you happen to be in a field where there is no house or gate, will you perhaps not pray in secret? Or if you happen to be on the top of a mountain, will you not pray at all? The Savior showed further that God knows the will of the heart and the thought, as the Lord himself wrote: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." And in Isaiah the prophet it is written: "Before my chosen call, I will hear them; before they cry out, I will answer them." Again Isaiah says of the wicked: "Even if you multiply prayer, I will not hear." He says again: "They will cry in my ears with a loud voice, and I will not hear them." This he says about deceitful prayer, which is not accepted. You must hear all those words with discernment; then you will understand their force.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

In the same place our Life-giver uttered another word, which must also be received with thought. For he says: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." How do you understand this word, my beloved? See, the Savior says: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." If you are alone, is Christ not with you? Of those who believe in Christ it is also written that Christ dwells in them, which shows that, just as when two or three are found together, Christ is with them. I will show you that not two or three, but more than a thousand people may sometimes be gathered in the name of Christ, and yet Christ does not remain with them, while a man who is alone will have Christ with him. But the word of our Life-giver is pleasing and delightful to those who hear it: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." When a person gathers himself in the name of Christ, Christ dwells in him, and God dwells in Christ; so that person becomes one made up of three: the man himself, Christ who dwells in him, and God who is in Christ, as the Lord himself said: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me." He also said: "I and the Father are one." And again: "You are in me, and I am in you." He also said through the prophet: "I will dwell in them and walk among them." By this argument you can understand that saying of the Savior.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

I will show you, my beloved, that in each of the righteous, our fathers, [God was with them] when they prayed. Moses, while he prayed on the mountain, was indeed alone, but God was with him; and he was not unheard because he was alone; rather his prayer, kindly received, restrained the divine wrath. Likewise Elijah on Mount Carmel was alone, and his prayer displayed wonderful powers: by it the heavens were shut, and by it again their bonds were loosed. It took the prey from the hands of death and snatched the spoil from Sheol; it rooted out abomination from Israel; it brought down fire three times, once on the altar and twice on the captains; and the fire that fell from heaven through his prayer took vengeance for him. He bent his knees to pray and was heard at once; but the four hundred and fifty men who cried out with raised voices were not heard, because they cried in the name of Baal; but Elijah, though he was alone, was counted worthy to be heard. Likewise Jonah the prophet was heard when he prayed from the depths of Sheol; though he was alone, he was heard at once and received an answer. Elisha also prayed and drew [a dead man] back from Sheol, and was saved from the hands of the wicked who surrounded him. He seemed to be alone, and yet a great army was present around him. For he said to his disciple: "More are with us than with them." You would say they were left alone, and yet they were not alone. From what I have shown you, you can understand the word of the Lord who says: "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them."

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

As I advised you above, when you pray, lift your heart upward and lower your eyes, gather yourself into your inner man, and pray in secret to your Father who is in heaven. I have written you all these things about prayer: that if it is clean it is received, and if unclean it is rejected; for there are among us those who multiply prayers, draw out their supplication, bow down, and stretch out their hands, though the works of prayer are far from them; and they say the prayer [taught] by our Life-giver: "[Forgive us our debts, as] we too forgive our debtors." But you who pray, remember that you are offering a sacrifice before God; will not he who presents prayers be ashamed of a blemished sacrifice? You, I say, who pray to be forgiven and confess that you forgive, first consider in your mind whether you really forgive, and then you will confess that you forgive. Do not lie to God and say "I forgive" while you do not forgive. For God is not a man like you, that you should lie to him. If a man sins against a man, he will ask the Lord; but if a man offends against God, whom will he entreat? So do not condemn yourself by your prayer. Hear further what the Lord says: "When you offer your offering [and remember an anger] that you hold against your brother, leave your offering before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come back and offer your offering"; lest perhaps, when you pray, you remember that you keep some anger in your heart. Picture to yourself that your prayer has been left before the altar, and that he who presents prayers does not wish to carry it from the earth; for he inspects your sacrifice to see whether it is defiled; if it is clean he will bear it before God; and if he finds in your prayer, "Forgive me and I will forgive," then he who offers prayers will answer the one praying: "First forgive your debtors, and then I will present your petition to your creditor. Forgive a hundred denarii according to the measure of your poverty, and your creditor will forgive you ten thousand talents according to his magnificence, and will not demand interest or usury from you." And if you are willing to forgive, he who presents prayers will receive your sacrifice and take it up with him. But if you do not forgive, he will say this to you: "I will not offer an unclean sacrifice before the holy throne; you yourself will come there to give account to your creditor, and you will bring your offering with you"; and he will leave it and depart. But hear the prophet. What does he say? "Cursed is he who, having a choice male in his flock and making a vow, sacrifices to the Lord what is weak." And further: "Offer it to your governor; perhaps you will please him, or he will receive your face." So you must forgive your debtors before you pray, and then pray. And when you pray so, your prayer will go up before God and will not be left on the earth.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

For he said through the prophet: "This is my rest: give rest to the weary." So do the works that give God rest, O man, and you will not need to say, "Forgive me." Refresh the fallen, visit the sick, support the needy: this itself is prayer. I want you to take this warning, my beloved: whenever a person does works that give God rest, that itself is prayer. For so it is written: when Zimri committed fornication with the Midianite woman, Phinehas the son of Eleazar saw him, went into the chamber, and killed them both. And their slaying was counted to him in place of prayer. For David speaks of him thus: "Phinehas arose and prayed, and it was counted to him for righteousness to all generations for ever." So the killing of these, done for God's sake, was counted to him as prayer. Take care, then, my beloved, when something comes your way that gives rest to God's will, not to say: "The time of prayer is here; I will pray and do it afterwards." For before you finish your prayer, that thing which would have relieved God will slip away from you, and you will be cheated of the very work that pleases God, and by your own prayer you will be guilty of sin. Rather carry out God's good pleasure, for that itself is prayer.

[15] But hear the word of the Apostle who says: "If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged." Judge within yourself what I tell you. If you undertake a long journey and, worn out by the heat, come thirsty to one of the brothers and say to him, "Relieve the torment of my thirst," and he answers, "The time of prayer is here; I will pray and then attend to you," and while he prays and before he comes to you, you die of thirst, which would seem better to you: that he went to pray, or that he relieved your torment? Or if, when you are travelling in winter, rain and snow come upon you and you are badly troubled by cold, and you come to your friend again at the hour of prayer, and he gives you the same answer, and you die of cold, what fruit will there be from the prayer of a man who did not relieve the afflicted? But when the Lord gave the parable of the judgment, he separated and set [people] on the right and on the left, and to those on the right he said: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was sick and you visited me; I was a stranger and you took me in." He said the same to those on the left; and because they had not done these things, he handed them over to punishment; but the children of the right hand he sent into the kingdom.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Prayer is beautiful, and its works are glorious. Prayer is accepted when it is joined with good works; prayer is heard when forgiveness is found in it; prayer is pleasing when it is clean of all deceit; prayer is powerful when it is filled with divine power. What I have written to you, my beloved, that when a person does God's will, this itself is prayer, I indeed consider right; but do not, because of what I have told you, neglect prayer; rather be diligent in praying, and do not be overcome by weariness, as it is written that the Lord said: "Pray and do not lose heart"; be intent on vigils, drive sloth and idleness from you; be watchful day and night, and do not grow sluggish.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Now I will teach you the times of prayer. There is supplication, thanksgiving, and praise: supplication, when one implores mercy for his sins; thanksgiving, when you give thanks to your Father who is in heaven; praise, when you proclaim him for his works. If you are in trouble, bring supplication; if you are sustained by his benefits, give thanks to the giver; and when your mind is cheerful, offer praise. You should bring all your prayers before God according to this distinction. See how David at all times [prayed … "I will give thanks to you … for] your judgments, justly." And in another psalm he said: "Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights." Again he says: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise is always in my mouth." So he prayed not in one way only, but in various ways.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

I am persuaded, my beloved, that whatever people ask for earnestly, God grants them; but to one who offers prayers in mockery he does not consent, as it is written: … So one who prays, who offers prayers, must carefully examine his offering, lest some blemish be found in it; only then should he offer it; otherwise your sacrifice will remain on the earth. A sacrifice is nothing other than prayer, as I wrote to you above. For David says: "Sacrifice praise to the Lord; pay your vows to the Most High." Pure prayer surpasses all sacrifices. Be diligent, then, my beloved, in prayer, which speaks to God for you, as Isaiah the prophet wrote when he showed the children of Israel their sins and called them rulers of Sodom, and no longer children whom he had nourished and brought up; and they exchanged their glory for shame. Isaiah had said to them earlier: "I have nourished and exalted children"; but afterwards he said: "Rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah." But not listening to the voice of the prophet who said to them, "Their land is desolate, their cities burned with fire," and called them rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah, they took their sacrifices to offer them, so that they might be forgiven. But their sacrifices were not accepted, because their iniquity was too great, just as [the sacrifices] of the house of Eli the priest [were not]; for Scripture says: "The iniquity of the house of Eli will not be atoned for by victims or sacrifices." The same answer was given to the children of Israel; for Isaiah said to them: "What to me is the multitude of your victims? says the Lord. I am full of burnt offerings of rams; I take no delight in the fat of fatlings and the blood of bulls and goats. Who asked this of your hands?" And they: "Why then did you ask for these, and why are our sacrifices not accepted?" The prophet answered them: "Because your hands are full of blood." They say again: "What counsel is left to us?" And he says to them: "Wash and be clean; remove the wickedness of your works from my eyes; cease from evil and learn to do right; seek judgment, do good to the oppressed, judge for the orphans, and judge for the widows." They say to the prophet: "And when we have done these things, what will happen to us?" And he answers: "Thus says the Lord: When you have done these things, come, and let us talk together." And when do people talk with God, if not in prayer, provided it is without blemish? For prayer that has a blemish does not speak to God, as it is written that he answered and said: "However much you multiply prayer, I will not hear, because your hands are full of blood; when you are washed, then we will talk together; and if your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and if they are red like crimson, [I will make them] like [wool …] if you contend, you will fall by the sword." … For he said to them: "Your hands are full of blood." And what is the blood? … they took … and the blood of the prophets … and it stained them, and they cannot be cleansed. But if they were washed in the water of baptism and received the Body and Blood of Christ … that victims and sacrifices have been rejected … Therefore love pure prayer and give your effort to supplication … use prayer. Pay attention to all that I have written to you, and whenever you pray, remember your friend.