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In sanctum Paulum apostolum

Proof: That Saint Paul is greater than all the saints.

See with what large letters, he says, I have written to you with my own hand. For just as he is blameless in many things, so also here he is distinguished, using a newer ink; for nothing with him is dark, nor is there any obscurity with him, nor anything human; he surpassed all nature, he left creation 428 behind him, thinking to converse with God alone; rather, I am persuaded that this is the one of whom the Lord said that he is small here, but in the kingdom greater than John, who is greater than the prophets; for He did not say: "born among those born of women," but "has not been raised up"; for to be born is different from to be raised up; for to be born is clearly from a woman; but to be raised up is to be promoted, whether to a kingdom or to an episcopacy, or to some other such matter; as when it says: this one was raised up as a king, and that one as a governor. Therefore, the Lord, foreseeing that the Apostle was about to be raised up and to bear His name and to take up the cross upon himself and to preach Him among all the nations, saying: why do you marvel at John as great? there is another greater than this great one, not yet having believed, not yet having been raised up to preach; he has not yet been ordained for the apostolate, I have not yet appeared to him while he was persecuting, but indeed he is in the act of persecuting; for compared to those who have been raised up, he is truly greater than John, but compared to the one who is about to be raised up, he is the least; for the one who is lesser here is greater than him in the kingdom, and the one who is to be greater among you, let him be your servant and the last. Let us see, therefore, who is the least and the last of all, so that we may also know the greater, since the last is, as it were, instructive of the greater. What then does the Apostle say? "And to me, the very least of all the saints, was this grace given," and "last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me." If, therefore, he has been shown to be the last and least of all, it is clear that he is greater than all, because the Lord declared it so.

Not only is he greater than John, but also than all the saints. "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?—I am more." What is clearer than this? And concerning the Hebrews and Israelites, as being of least importance, he omitted the "more," so that no one might say he was greater than those, but equal to these; but on the most honorable point of all, he added the "greater," so as to make the question beyond doubt. Again, lest he should seem to give occasion for a true boast, he immediately subjoins the reason for which he is more than they: "in labors more abundantly, in stripes beyond measure, in deaths and dangers often," and "I have labored more than all of them," and that if each of all shall receive according to his own labor, it is clear that this man will be honored more than all, as having labored more abundantly. What is more glorious than this? If you wish, hear also another such proof: "Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first," and "for this reason I received mercy, that in me first He might show forth His great long-suffering."

How did He show it forth in him, having appeared to him last, if according to time he was not first? 429 for before him, He appeared to the disciples, before the disciples to the prophets, and after these again to those in the world before them. How then "first" to this one, unless because he is first in honor? As, therefore, John was the last of the prophets in time, but greater in honor, so also the Apostle was the last of the apostles in time, but first in honor of all the saints. But if you are not persuaded by the truth, be persuaded at least by the type that prefigured him at the recognition of Joseph's brothers, how Joseph had each of the brothers recline according to his seniority, but the last of all

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In sanctum Paulum apostolum

Ἀπόδειξις· Ὅτι μείζων πάντων τῶν ἁγίων ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος.

Ἴδετε πηλίκοις ὑμῖν, φησί, γράμμασιν ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀνεπίληπτος, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἔγκριτος καινοτέρῳ μέλανι χρώμενος· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ μέλαν οὐδὲ σκοτεινὸν παρ' αὐτῷ οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπινον· ὑπερέβη πᾶσαν φύσιν, ἀφῆκεν ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κτί428 σιν, μόνῳ Θεῷ προσομιλεῖν νομίζων· μᾶλλον δὲ πέπεισμαι τοῦτον εἶναι ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος μικρὸν μὲν ἐνταῦθα, ἐν δὲ τῇ βασιλείᾳ μείζονα Ἰωάννου, τοῦ μείζονος τῶν προφητῶν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· γεγέννηται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγήγερται· τὸ γὰρ γεννηθῆναι παρὰ τὸ ἐγηγέρθαι ἕτερον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ γεννηθῆναι δῆλον ἐκ γυναικός· τὸ δὲ ἐγερθῆναι, τὸ προαχθῆναι εἴτε εἰς βασιλείαν ἢ εἰς ἐπισκοπήν, εἴτε εἰς ἕτερόν τι τοιοῦτον πρᾶγμα· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· ὃ μὲν ἠγέρθη βασιλεύς, ὃ δὲ ἡγέμων. Ὁ οὖν Κύριος προβλέπων τὸν Ἀπόστολον μέλλοντα συνεγείρεσθαι καὶ βαστάζειν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα καὶ αἴρειν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ κηρύττειν αὐτὸν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι λέγων· τί θαυμάζετε τὸν Ἰωάννην ὡς μέγαν; τούτου τοῦ μεγάλου ἄλλος ἐστὶ μείζων, μήπω πιστεύσας, μήπω ἐγερθεὶς εἰς τὸ κηρύξαι· οὔπω ἐχειροτονήθη εἰς ἀποστολήν, οὔπω αὐτῷ ὤφθην διώκοντι, ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐν τῷ διώκειν ἐστίν· πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἐγερθέντας ἀληθῶς μείζων Ἰωάννου, πρὸς δὲ τὸν μέλλοντα ἐγείρεσθαι ἐλάχιστός ἐστιν· ὁ γὰρ μικρότερος ἐνταῦθα μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ, καὶ ὁ μέλλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι μείζων, ἔστω ὑμῶν διάκονος καὶ ἔσχατος. Ἴδωμεν οὖν τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐλάχιστος καὶ ἔσχατος πάντων, ἵνα γνωρίσωμεν καὶ τὸν μείζω, ἐπειδὴ ὥσπερ τι διδακτικὸν τοῦ μείζονος τὸ ἔσχατον. Τί οὖν λέγει ὁ Ἀπόστολος; Καὶ ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη, καὶ ἔσχατον πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί. Εἰ οὖν ἔσχατος καὶ ἐλάχιστος ἐδείχθη οὗτος πάντων, δῆλον ὅτι μείζων πάντων διὰ τὸ οὕτως ἀποφήνασθαι τὸν Κύριον.

Οὐ μόνον δὲ Ἰωάννου μείζων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων. Ἑβραῖοί εἰσι, κἀγώ· σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ εἰσι, κἀγώ· διάκονοι Χριστοῦ εἰσιν, ὑπὲρ ἐγώ. Τί τούτου φανερώτερον; Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ἑβραίων καὶ Ἰσραηλιτῶν ὡς ἐλαχίστων παρησύχασεν τὸ ὑπέρ, ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ ἐκείνων μείζονα, τούτων δὲ ἴσον· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐπὶ πάντων τιμιώτερον, τὸ μεῖζον προσέθηκεν, ἵνα ἀναμφίβολον ποιήσῃ τὸ ζήτημα. Πάλιν δὲ ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ καιρὸν διδόναι καυχήματος ἀληθοῦς, εὐθέως ὑπογράφει τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ κινδύνοις πολλάκις καὶ περισσότερον πάντων ἐκοπίασα, καὶ ὅτι εἰ ἕκαστος πάντων ἀπολήψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον, δῆλον ὅτι περισσότερον οὗτος πάντων τιμηθήσεται, ὡς περισσότερον κεκοπιακώς. Τί τούτου λαμπρότερον; Εἰ θέλεις, καὶ ἄλλην τοιαύτην ἑτέραν ἀπόδειξιν ἄκουε, Χριστὸς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι, ὧν πρῶτος εἰμὶ ἐγώ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρῶτον ἐνδείξῃ τὴν πολλὴν μαρκοθυμίαν.

Πῶς τούτῳ ἐνεδείξατο, ἔσχατον αὐτῷ ὀφθείς, εἰ κατὰ χρόνους οὐ πρῶτον; 429 πρὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς μαθηταῖς, πρὸ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῖς προφήταις, μετὰ δὲ τούτους πάλιν τοῖς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πρὸ ἐκείνων. Πρῶτον οὖν πῶς τούτῳ, εἰ μὴ διὰ τὸ πρῶτον τῇ τιμῇ; Ὣς οὖν Ἰωάννης ἔσχατος μὲν τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν προφητῶν, μείζων δὲ τῇ τιμῇ, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔσχατος μὲν τῶν ἀποστόλων τῷ χρόνῳ, πρῶτος δὲ τῇ τιμῇ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων. Εἰ δὲ οὐ πείθῃ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, πείσθητι κἀν τῷ τύπῳ τῷ προτυπωθέντι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνωρίσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, πῶς ἕκαστον τῶν ἀδελφῶν κατὰ τὰ πρεσβεῖα ἀνέκλινεν ὁ Ἰωσήφ, ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων