Let us praise and glorify Him, praised by the angels incessantly, and worship Him Whom the cherubim and seraphim worship, for He looked upon His people. And not a messenger (of Him), not a messenger, but He Himself saved us, not coming to earth in a ghostly way, but truly, suffering for us in the flesh to the point of death and resurrecting us with Himself.
For he came to those living on earth, having taken on flesh, and to those in hell, through crucifixion and position, he descended into the grave - so that both of them, living and dead, would know (the day) of their visitation and of God’s coming and understand: strong and mighty God of the living and the dead. For who is God as great as [our] God! He alone, who works miracles, laid down the Law in advance of Truth and Grace - so that human nature would become accustomed in it, evading idolatry polytheism, to believe in one God; Yes, like a defiled vessel, humanity, washed by water, the law and circumcision, will receive the milk of Grace and Baptism. For the Law is the forerunner and servant of Grace and Truth, while Truth and Grace are the servants of the Future Age, Imperishable Life.
Just as the Law led those under the law to grace-filled Baptism, so Baptism leads its sons into Eternal Life . After all, Moses and the prophets spoke about the coming of Christ, while Christ and His apostles spoke about the resurrection and the Future Age. But to recall in this scripture both the prophetic predictions about Christ and the apostolic teaching about the Future Age is (meaning to say) superfluous and falls into vanity. For repetition (of what) is written in other books and is known to you, is like insolence and love of fame.
After all, we are not writing to the ignorant, but to those who are sufficiently satiated with the sweets of books, not to those of other faiths at enmity with God, but to His sons themselves, not to strangers, but to the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.
But this story is about the Law given through Moses, and about Grace and Truth revealed through Christ; and (about) what the Law achieved, and what Grace achieved. First Law, then Grace; first the shadow, then the Truth. The image of the Law and Grace is Hagar and Sarah, the slave Hagar and the free Sarah. Slave first, then free. Let the reader understand: Abraham, from his youth, had Sarah as his wife—a free woman, and not a slave.
And God, before the age, deigned and planned to send His Son into the world and thereby show Grace. Sarah did not give birth because she was barren. She was not (at all) barren, but was imprisoned by God’s Providence, (so that she) could give birth in her old age. The unknown and secret of the Wisdom of God was hidden from angels and man, not as something implicit, but as something hidden and bound to appear at the end of the ages. Sarah said to Abraham: “Behold, the Lord God has imprisoned me , (and) I cannot give birth. Go in to my servant Hagar and give birth to her.” Grace said to God: “If it is not time for me to come down to earth and save the world, come down to Mount Sinai and establish the Law.”
Abraham listened to Sarah's words and went in to her servant Hagar. God also heeded the words of Grace and descended to Sinai.
Hagar the slave gave birth to Abraham the slave, the son of the slave. And Abraham called his name Ishmael. Moses also brought from Mount Sinai the Law, and not Grace, a shadow, and not the Truth.
Afterwards, when Abraham and Sarah were old, God appeared to Abraham, sitting before the door of his tent at noon by the oak of Mamre. Abraham went to meet Him, bowed down to the ground and received Him into his tent. When this age approached its end, the Lord visited the human race and descended from Heaven, entering the womb of the Virgin. The Virgin received Him with worship into the tabernacle of the flesh without pain, saying thus to the angel: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. Then God revealed the womb of Sarah, and, having conceived, she gave birth to Isaac, free and free. And when God visited human nature, what was (hitherto) unknown and hidden appeared, and Grace was born - Truth, not Law, a son, not a slave. And as soon as the child Isaac was breastfed and strong, Abraham arranged a great feast when Isaac [his son] was weaned. When Christ appeared on earth, Grace had not yet had time to grow stronger and was in its infancy for more than thirty years - at the same time (and) Christ was unknown. When it was nourished and strengthened, and the Grace of God appeared to all people on the Jordan River, God created a treat and a great feast with the Taurus, nourished from all eternity, by His beloved Son Jesus Christ, calling together heavenly and earthly things for a common joy, gathering together angels and men. Afterwards, Sarah, seeing Ishmael, the son of Hagar, playing with his son Isaac, and how Isaac was offended by Ishmael, said to Abraham: Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not inherit with the son of a free woman.
After the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, when His disciples and others who had already believed in Christ were in Jerusalem, there was a mixture of Jews and Christians. Baptism of grace endured the insults of legalistic circumcision; and the Christian Church did not accept a bishop from the uncircumcised in Jerusalem, for the circumcised, being the first, committed violence against Christians - the sons of a slave woman against the sons of a free woman. And there were many quarrels and “controversies” between them (disputes, quarrels. - Slav.). Free Grace, seeing the children of her Christians oppressed by the Jews, the sons of the slave Law, cried out to God: “Take away Judaism and the Law (it), scatter it throughout the countries - what kind of communication is there between the shadow and the Truth, Judaism and Christianity!”
And Hagar the slave was driven out with her son Ishmael; and Isaac, the son of a free woman, succeeded Abraham his father. And the Jews were expelled and scattered throughout the countries, and the children of grace, Christians, became heirs of God and the Father. For the light of the moon departed when the sun shone, and so the Law departed when Grace appeared; and the cold of the night disappeared when the warmth of the sun warmed the earth. And humanity is no longer cramped in the Law, but walks freely in Grace. After all, the Jews, by the candle of the Law, made their justification, while Christians, by the grace of the sun, create their salvation.
Thus, the Jews were justified by the shadow and the Law, but were not saved, while Christians are not justified by Truth and Grace, but are saved. For the Jews have justification, but the Christians have salvation. And since justification is in this world, and salvation is in the Age to Come, Jews rejoice in earthly things, and Christians rejoice in things in Heaven.
And besides, the Jewish justification was stingy, because of jealousy, and did not extend to other nations, but only in Judea alone. Christian salvation is good and generously extends to all the edges of the earth. The blessing came true, for the seniority of Manasseh was blessed with the left hand of Jacob, and the youth of Ephraim with the right hand. Although Manasseh was older than Ephraim, he became less of a blessing to Jacob. So is Judaism: although it appeared earlier, through Grace Christianity became greater. When Joseph said to Jacob: “On this one, father, lay your right hand, for he is older,” Jacob answered: “I know, child, I know; and he will be exalted among men, but his younger brother will become greater than he, and his descendants will be among many nations.” And so it happened. The Law existed before, and ascended in small things, and departed; The Christian faith, having appeared later, became greater than the first and spread among many nations.
And Christ’s Grace embraced the whole earth and, like sea water, covered it. And all, having put aside the old, which had become dilapidated in the zeal of the Jews, they hold on to the new, according to the prophecy of Isaiah: “The old has passed away - I proclaim to you the new. Sing a new song to God and glorify His Name from the ends of the earth: those who walk on the sea, those who sail on it, and all the islands.” And again: “those who work for Me will be called by a new name, which will be blessed on earth, for they will bless the true God.”
After all, before in Jerusalem alone (God) was worshiped, but now throughout the whole earth. As Gideon said to God: If you save Israel with my hand, let there be only dew on the fleece, but let there be dryness on the whole earth. And so it became. For there was dryness all over the earth before: the peoples were possessed by idolatry’s lies; and therefore they do not accept the beneficial dew; Only in Judea was God known, and in Israel was His great name, and in Jerusalem alone was God glorified . Gideon also said to God: “Let there be dryness only on the fleece, but on the whole earth there will be dew.” And so it became.
For Judaism ended, and the Law departed. The sacrifices were not accepted, the ark and tablets, and the purification were taken away. The dew spread throughout the whole earth, faith spread throughout the whole earth, the rain of grace watered the font of the birth pack, (to) clothe their sons in incorruption.
As the Savior said to the Samaritan woman, that the time would come, and has already come, when the Father will not be worshiped on this mountain, not in Jerusalem, but true worshipers will appear who will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for the Father is looking for such as those who worship Him, then is with the Son and the Holy Spirit. So it is: throughout the entire earth the Holy Trinity is already glorified and receives worship from all creation. The small (and) great glorify God, according to the prophecy: “And every man shall teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because they will know Me” (everyone) from the least to the greatest. And as Christ the Savior said to the Father: I glorify You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You hid this from the wise and prudent and revealed it to babes; hey, Father! for such was Thy good pleasure. And the Good God had such mercy on the human race that people according to the flesh, through Baptism (and) good deeds, become sons of God and partakers of Christ. For, as the evangelist said: And to those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God by the Holy Spirit in the holy font. Yet it is our God who willed and created in Heaven and on earth. (And) therefore, who will not glorify, who will not praise, who will not bow to the majesty of His glory and who will not marvel at His immeasurable love for mankind! Previously, the age was born from the Father, one and co-throne with the Father, consubstantial, like the light of the sun; descended to earth, visited His people without leaving the Father, and was incarnated from the Virgin, pure, unmarried and immaculate; He entered as He Himself (only) knows, took on the flesh and left the same way as He entered. One of the Trinity in two natures - Divinity and humanity.
A perfect man by incarnation, and not a ghost, but (and) a perfect God by Divinity, and not a simple man, who revealed the Divine and human on earth.
For how man burdened his mother’s womb, and how God came forth without damaging the virginity.
How man received his mother's milk - and how God commanded the angels and shepherds to sing: Glory to God in the highest!
How a man was wrapped in swaddling clothes - and how God led the Magi with a star.
How a man reclined in a manger - and how God received gifts and worship from the Magi.
How man fled to Egypt - and how the hand-made Egyptian (gods) worshiped God (Him).
As a man came to be baptized - and as God feared (Him), the Jordan turned back.
How a man, naked, entered the water - and how God received the testimony from the Father: This is My beloved Son.
How a man fasted for forty days and became hungry - and how God defeated the tempter.
How a man went to get married in Cana of Galilee - and how God turned water into wine.
How a man slept in a ship - and how God rebuked the winds and the sea, and (they) listened to Him.
How the man mourned Lazarus - and how God raised him from the dead.
As a man sat on a donkey - and as they cried out to God: Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!
How a man was crucified - and how God, by His power, let him who was crucified with Him into paradise.
How a man, having tasted vinegar, gave up the ghost - and how God darkened the sun and shook the earth.
How a man was laid in a grave - and how God destroyed hell and freed souls.
How a man was sealed (Him) in a tomb - and how God came out, keeping the seals intact.
As a man, the Jews tried to hide the Resurrection (His) by bribing the guards, but as God was recognized and called to all the ends of the earth.
Verily, Who is God as great as [our] God? He is a God who works miracles! He wrought salvation in the midst of the earth through the cross and flour at the place of the Skull, having tasted vinegar and gall, so that by tasting bitterness the crime and sin of Adam’s sweet eating would be cut off from the tree! Those who did this to Him stumbled over Him as against a stone, and were crushed, as the Lord said: He who falls on this stone will be crushed, and whoever falls on it will crush it. For he came to them in fulfillment of the prophecies spoken about Him, just as He said: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And one more thing: I did not come to destroy [the Law], but to fulfill it. And to the Canaanite woman, a foreigner, asking for the healing of her daughter, he said: It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. They called Him a liar, and born of fornication, and (by the power of) Beelzebub casting out demons. Christ made their blind sighted, cleansed the lepers, straightened those who were bent, healed the demon-possessed, strengthened the paralytic, raised the dead. They tortured (Him) like a villain, nailing Him to the Cross. And therefore the wrath of God came upon them, mortal.
For they themselves hastened their destruction. When the Savior told the parable of the vineyard and the laborers: What will He do with these vinedressers? - They answered: he will put these evildoers to an evil death, and he will give the vineyard to other winegrowers, who will give him the fruit in their own time.
And they themselves were prophets of their own destruction, for He came to earth to visit them, and they did not receive Him. Since their deeds were dark, they did not love the light: their deeds would not have appeared, for (they are) dark. And that is why, approaching Jerusalem and seeing the hail, Jesus shed tears, saying about it: “If only you had understood in this day what is to your peace! Now it is hidden from your eyes that your time will come, and your enemies will build a palisade around you, and will offend you, and surround you from everywhere, and will defeat you and your children within you, because you did not understand the time of your visit! And again: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you! How many times have I wanted to gather your children together, like a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty, just as it happened, for the Romans came, captured Jerusalem and destroyed it to the ground. Since then, Judaism has perished, and the law with it, like the dawn of the evening, has faded away, and the Jews were scattered throughout the countries - may evil not remain in the community!
After all, the Savior came and was not received by Israel. And, according to the Gospel word, he came to his own, and his own did not receive Him. He was accepted by the pagans, as Jacob said: and He is the hope of the nations, for even after His birth the wise men from the pagans first worshiped Him, and the Jews sought to kill Him, and because of Him the massacre of the infants took place. And the word of the Savior came true, that many would come from the east and the west and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven; and the sons of the Kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. And again, that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits, for He sent His disciples to them, saying: Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.
And it was fitting for Grace and Truth to shine over the new nations. For, according to the words of the Lord, they do not pour the wine of the new, grace-filled teaching into old wineskins that have become worn out in Judaism: the skins burst and the wine flows out. Those who failed to retain the shadows of the Law, who worshiped idols so many times, how will they retain the teaching of true Grace! But a new teaching goes into new wineskins, new nations: both are preserved. This is true. For the grace-filled faith has spread throughout the entire earth and has reached our Russian people. And the lake of the law dried up, but the fountain of the gospel was filled with waters and covered the whole earth, and overflowed to us. After all, we and all Christians are already glorifying the Holy Trinity, but Judea is silent. Christ is glorified, and the Jews are cursed, the pagans are brought in, and the Jews are rejected, as (the Lord through) the prophet Malachi said: “I have no need of the children of Israel, neither will I accept sacrifice at their hands, for from the east and the west my name is glorified in the countries and in every place incense is offered to My Name, for My Name is great among the nations.” And David: Let all the earth worship You and sing to You; and: Lord our Lord, wonderful is Your Name throughout all the earth! And we are no longer called idolaters, but Christians; not without hope, but trusting in Eternal Life .
And we are no longer erecting temples of Satan, but we are building churches of Christ. We no longer slay each other (to please) demons, but Christ is slain for us and broken into pieces as a sacrifice to God and the Father.
And it is no longer when we eat the sacrificial blood that we perish, but when we eat the Most Pure Blood of Christ, we are saved. Our Good God had mercy on all countries and did not despise us, he wanted to - and saved us, and brought us to the understanding of the Truth. For when our land became desolate and dry, when the idolatrous heat dried it up, the fountain of the Gospel suddenly flowed, watering our entire land. Just as Isaiah said: water will break out for those walking in the wilderness, and the waterless will turn into swamps, and in a thirsty land there will be a source of water.
When we were blind and did not see the true light, but wandered in the lies of idols, and were also deaf to the saving teaching, God had mercy on us, and the light of reason shone in us to know Him, according to the prophecy: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will hear.” And when we stumbled on the paths of destruction, following demons, and did not know the path leading to life, moreover, we muttered with our tongues, praying to idols, and not to our God and Creator, God’s love for mankind visited us. And let us no longer follow demons, but clearly glorify Christ our God, according to the prophecy: “Then the lame will leap up like a deer, and the tongue of those who destroy will be clear.” And when we were like beasts and cattle, we did not understand (where) the right hand was, (where) the soul was, and we were attached to earthly things, and did not care at all about heavenly things, the Lord sent us commandments leading to Eternal Life, according to the prophecy of Hosea: “And On that day, says the Lord, I will make a covenant with them with the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and I will not say to My people, “You are My people,” but they will say to Me, “You are the Lord our God!” And so, being strangers, we were called the people of God, and, being enemies, we were called His sons. And we do not blaspheme in the Jewish way, but we bless in the Christian way, and we do not gather council to crucify (Him), but to worship the Crucified One. We do not crucify the Savior, but we raise our hands to Him. We do not pierce the ribs, but from them we drink from the source of incorruption. We do not earn thirty pieces of silver from Him, but we commend each other and our whole life to Him. We do not hide the Resurrection, but in all our homes we proclaim: Christ is risen from the dead! We do not say that (He) was stolen, but (that) He ascended to where He was. We do not disbelieve, but, like Peter, we say to Him: You are Christ, the Son of the Living God, and with Thomas: “You are our Lord and God,” and with the thief: “Remember us, Lord, in Your Kingdom!” And so, believing in Him and keeping the traditions of the holy fathers of the seven Councils, we pray to God to work more and more and direct us on the path of His commandments. What was said about the pagans has come true for us: “The Lord will bare His holy arm before all nations, and they will see the salvation of our God in all the ends of the earth.” And another thing: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will confess to God. And to Isaiah: Let every valley be filled, and every mountain and hill be made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough paths made smooth; and the glory of the Lord will appear, and all flesh will see [the salvation of God]. And Daniel: “All people, nations and languages will serve Him.” And David: “Let people confess to You, O God, let all people confess to You, let the nations rejoice and rejoice” and: Clap your hands, all nations. shout to God with a voice of joy; for the Lord Most High is terrible, the great King over all the earth. And below: Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing, for God is the King of all the earth; Sing everything wisely. God reigned over the nations and: “Let all the earth worship You and sing to You, let them sing to Your name, [the Most High]!”, and: “Praise the Lord, all nations, glorify all nations,” and again: “From the east to the west Praise the Name of the Lord. High is the Lord above all nations, above the heavens is His glory,” as is Your Name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth, hear us, O God, our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are far off in the sea and: Let us know Your way on earth, Your salvation in all nations, and: Let the kings of the earth and all the nations, the princes and all the judges of the earth, the young men and maidens, the elders and youths, praise the Name of the Lord. And to Isaiah: “Listen to Me, My people [says God], and kings listen to Me, for the Law will come from Me, and My judgment is a light to the nations. My truth will soon draw near and My salvation will descend like light. The islands wait for Me, and they trust in the arm of My country.” The Roman country praises with a laudatory voice Peter and Paul, from them they believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Asia and Ephesus, and Patmos - John the Theologian. India - Thomas, Egypt - Mark. All countries, cities, and peoples honor and glorify each their teacher, who taught them the Orthodox faith. Let us also, according to our strength, with small praises, do great and wondrous things, our teacher and mentor, the great prince of our land Vladimir, the grandson of old Igor, the son of the glorious Svyatoslav, who during the time of their rule were known for their courage and bravery in many countries and now they are remembered and glorified by victories and strength. For your dominion is not in a bad and unknown land, but in the Russian one, which is known and heard in all four corners of the earth.
This glorious, born from the glorious, noble - from the noble, our prince Vladimir grew up, became stronger from his childhood youth, and even more matured, improving in strength and strength, excelling in courage and intelligence, and became the sole ruler of his land, conquering neighboring peoples, others - with peace, and the disobedient with the sword. And so, in his days of living and shepherding his land with righteousness, courage and intelligence, a visitation from the Most High came upon him, the All-Merciful Eye of the Good God looked upon him. And reason shone in his heart to understand the vanity of idolatry lies, and to seek the One God, who created all creation, visible and invisible. In addition, he always heard about the blessed land of Greece, Christ-loving and strong in faith: how (there) the One God in the Trinity is revered and worshiped (Him), how they have powers, and miracles, and signs, how churches are filled with people, how and the cities are faithful, everyone stands in prayer, everyone serves God. And having heard this, he desired in his heart, he was kindled in spirit, so that he could be a Christian and his land should also be (Christian), which happened according to the will of God about human nature. For our prince took off his clothes, and laid aside the corruption of the old man, shook off the dust of unbelief and entered the holy font, and was reborn of the Spirit and water, baptized into Christ, putting on Christ. And he came out of the font whitened, becoming the son of incorruption, the son of the Resurrection, taking on the eternal name, famous in generations and generations - Basil, with whom he is inscribed in the Book of Life, in the highest city, in imperishable Jerusalem. After this happened, he did not abandon the feat of piety, not only did he demonstrate the love that existed in him for God, but he moved further, commanding throughout his entire land to be baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and to glorify clearly and loudly in all cities Holy Trinity, and everyone to become Christians: small and great, slaves and free, young and old, boyars and commoners, rich and poor.
And there was not a single one who opposed his pious command. Yes, if someone was not baptized out of love, then out of fear (of) the commanded one - for his good faith was coupled with power. And at one time our whole earth glorified Christ with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Then the idolatrous darkness began to depart from us, and the dawn of good faith appeared. Then the darkness of unservice disappeared, and the word of the Gospel shone upon our land.
The temples were destroyed, and churches were erected, idols were crushed, and icons of saints appeared, demons fled - the Cross sanctified the city.
The shepherds of Christ's verbal sheep, the bishops, stood before the holy altar, offering the Bloodless Sacrifice. The elders, and the deacons, and the entire clergy adorned and clothed the holy churches with beauty. The apostolic trumpet and evangelical thunder resounded throughout the cities. The incense ascended to God sanctified the air. Monasteries were erected on the mountains; the monks appeared; men and women, both small and great - all people filled the holy churches, glorifying (God), singing: One is holy, one Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father! Amen. Christ has won! Christ has overcome! Christ reigns! Christ is glorified! Great are You, O Lord, and wonderful are Your works! Our God, glory to You!
How we will praise you, O most honorable and glorious among earthly rulers, most courageous Vasily! How we will marvel at the greatness, strength and power (of yours), what gratitude we will give you for the fact that through you we have come to know the Lord and the lies of idols have come to an end, that by your command Christ is glorified throughout your whole land! What should we call you, lover of Christ? Friend of truth, receptacle of reason, nest of mercy! How did you believe? How did you become inflamed with the love of Christ? How did a mind higher than the mind of earthly sages take possession of you - so that you could love the Invisible and strive for the heavenly?!
How did you seek Christ, how did you surrender to Him? Tell us, your servants, tell us, our teacher, where did the fragrance of the Holy Spirit come from? Where did you drink from the sweet cup of memory of the Future Life? Where did you taste and see how good the Lord is? You have not seen Christ, you have not followed Him - how did you become His disciple? Others did not believe when they saw Him. You believed without seeing. Truly, the blessing of the Lord Jesus, spoken to Thomas, has come true on you: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Therefore, we boldly and without doubt call on you, O blessed one! The Savior Himself called you blessed, for you believed in Him and were not offended by Him, according to His unfaithful word: and blessed is he who is not offended by Me. For those who knew the Law and the Prophets crucified Him. But you, who did not honor the Law or the Prophets, bowed to the Crucified One.
How did your heart open, how did the fear of God enter into you, how did you become filled with love for Him? I have not seen the apostle who came to your land and with his poverty, nakedness, hunger and thirst inclined your heart to humility. I haven’t seen (how) a demon is cast out in the name of Jesus Christ, how the sick are healed, the dumb speak, fire is turned into cold, the dead rise - having not seen all this, how did you believe? Wonderful miracle! Other kings and rulers, seeing how all this was accomplished by holy men, did not believe, but, moreover, betrayed them to torment and suffering. But you, O blessed one, without all this, came to Christ, only through good reflection and wit did you understand that there is One God. The Creator of the invisible and visible, heavenly and earthly, and what (He) sent into the world for (our) salvation, for the sake of His beloved Son. And having thought about this, he entered the holy font. What seems like ugliness to others has become the power of God for you. Moreover, who will tell about your many nighttime mercies and daytime bounties that you did to the poor, the orphaned, the sick, debtors, widows and everyone asking for mercy. For you have heard the word spoken by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar: “May my advice be pleasing to you, King Nebuchadnezzar: cleanse your sins with mercies and cleanse your iniquities with generosity to the poor.” What you heard, O most honorable one, you did not leave for hearing, but in deed you fulfilled what was said: you gave to those who asked, you clothed the naked, you fed the thirsty and hungry, you sent every consolation to the sick, you ransomed debtors, you gave freedom to slaves. After all, your generosity and mercies are still remembered among people, especially before God and His angels. Because of it, the mercy favored by God, you have much boldness before Him as a constant servant of Christ. The one who said the words helps me: mercy exalts itself over judgment and a person’s alms are like a seal with Him. Or rather, the Lord Himself says: Blessed are the merciful, for they have received mercy. We will give other clear and true testimony about you from the Holy Scriptures, spoken by the Apostle James, that whoever converts a sinner from his false path will save the soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. If one person received such retribution from the Good God, then what kind of salvation have you found, O Vasily?! What burden of sin did you scatter, converting not just one person from the delusion of idolatry lies, not ten, not a city, but this whole land?! The Savior Christ Himself shows us and confirms what glory and honor He has vouchsafed for you in heaven, saying: Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father in Heaven. And if Christ intercedes before God the Father for one who confesses Him only before people, then how much praise will you be from Him, not only having confessed that Christ is the Son of God, but having confessed and confirmed your faith in Him, not in one council, but by throughout this land, and having established churches of Christ, and bringing His servants? Similar to the Great Constantine, equal to him in mind, equally Christ-loving, equally honoring His servants! He, with the holy fathers of the Council of Nicea, laid down the Law for people (all), but you, with our new fathers, the bishops, gathered often and consulted with great humility how to establish the Law among this people, who had newly come to know the Lord. He conquered the kingdom of the Hellenes and Romans to God, but you – Rus'. Now not only among them, but also among us, Christ is called King. He and his mother Elena brought the Cross from Jerusalem and, having sent it throughout the world, confirmed the faith. You and your grandmother Olga brought the Cross from New Jerusalem, the City of Constantine and, placing it throughout your entire land, established the faith. For you are like him. According to your good faith, which you had in your life, the Lord made you (and) in Heaven the same, one (with Him) glory and honor, a participant. A good mentor in your good faith, O blessed one, is the Holy Church of the Most Holy Theotokos Mary, which (you) created on a faithful basis and where your courageous body now lies, awaiting the trumpet of the Archangel.
A good and faithful witness is your son George, whom the Lord created as a successor to your rule: not violating your statutes, but affirming; not detracting from the storehouses of your good faith, but increasing them; not in words, but (in deeds) bringing to the end what is unfinished by you, like Solomon (the works of) David. He created the House of God, the great, holy Wisdom (His) for the holiness and sanctification of your city and decorated it with all beauty: gold and silver, and expensive stones, and sacred vessels - such a wondrous and glorious church among all neighboring nations that another (such ) will not be found in the entire midnight of the earth, from east to west. And your glorious city of Kyiv surrounded you with greatness, like a crown, and entrusted your people and the city to the aid of Christians to the All-Glorious Holy Mother of God. She also created the church on the Great Gate in the name of the first Lord's holiday, the Holy Annunciation. And if the archangel sends greetings to the Virgin, (then) there will be a greeting for this city. Like Her: Rejoice, O joyful one. The Lord is with you! - so to him: Rejoice, blessed city. The Lord is with you! Rise, O honorable head, from your grave! Get up, shake off your sleep, for you are not dead, but you are sleeping until the general uprising! Arise, you are not dead, for one who believes in Christ, the Life of the whole world, should not die! Shake off your sleep, lift up your eyes and see what honor the Lord vouchsafed to you there, and on earth did not leave you unmemorable in your son. Arise, look at your child, George, look at your family, look at your dear one, look (at the one) whom the Lord brought forth from your loins, look at him who adorns the throne of your land - and rejoice and be glad! Moreover, look at your faithful daughter-in-law Irina, look at your grandchildren and great-grandchildren: how they live, how they are protected by the Lord, how they keep their faith according to your covenant, how they often go to holy churches, how they glorify Christ, how they worship His Name. Look at the city, shining with majesty! Look at the prosperous churches, look at the growing Christianity , look at the city, sanctified and shining with icons of saints, and fragrant with incense, and with praises, and divine (names), and resounding with the hymns of saints.
And seeing all this, rejoice, and rejoice, and praise the Good God, the organizer of everything. You have already seen, if not in body, then in spirit: the Lord is showing you all this. Rejoice and be glad that the seeds of your faith were not dried up by the heat of unbelief, but with the rain of God's haste they bore abundant fruit.
Rejoice, Apostle among rulers, who did not raise the dead with their bodies, but raised us with the soul of the dead, who died from the disease of idolatry. For by your will they came to life and came to know the life of Christ. They were twisted by demonic lies, but by your will they straightened up and entered the path of life. They were blind from demonic lies, but by your will (will) they stretched out the eyes of their hearts; blinded (were) by ignorance, but by your (will) they saw the light of the Trisolar Deity. They were dumb, but by your will they spoke. And now, small and great, we glorify the Consubstantial Trinity. Rejoice, our teacher and mentor of good faith! You were clothed with righteousness, girded with strength, shod with truth, crowned with intelligence, and flaunted with mercy, like a coin and golden utensils.
O honest head, you were a naked robe, you were a hungry feeder, you were a thirsty womb for cooling, you were a helper to widows, you were a resting place for strangers, you were a shelter for the homeless, you were an offended protector, an enrichment for the poor. For these and other good deeds, having received reward in heaven - (those) good things that God has prepared for [you] who love Him - and satiated with the vision of His sweet face, pray for your land and the people over whom you have faithfully ruled, that He may preserve them ( Lord) in peace and good faith, betrayed by you, and may orthodoxy be glorified in it, and may all heresy be cursed; and may the Lord God preserve them from all hostility and captivity, from famine, and from all sorrow and sorrow. Especially pray for your son, our blessed prince George, so that he may swim across the abyss of life in peace and health and land unharmed in the haven of heavenly shelter; so that the ship of soul and faith is preserved and, with a wealth of good deeds, without temptation, having ruled the people given to him by God, to stand with you shamelessly before the Throne of the Almighty God and for the work of shepherding his people to receive from Him the crown of incorruptible glory, with all the righteous who worked for Him .
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ilarion_Kievskij/slovo_o_zakone_i_blagodati/?