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as if a light had fallen on that city, each person, as if lighting a lamp, brought into his own house the name of that blessed man, drawing in, as it were, a certain treasure of a myriad of good things through the calling of his name; and what was happening was a lesson in piety. For being constantly compelled to remember that name, and to have that holy man in their soul, they had his name as a refuge from every irrational passion and thought; and this became so great, that everywhere, both in the streets, and in the marketplace, and in the fields, and on the roads, this name resounded from all sides. But you were not so affected only by the name, but also by the very image of his body. For what you did with names, this you also did with his image. For indeed many engraved that holy image on the bezels of rings, and on engravings, and on cups, and on the walls of chambers, and everywhere, so as not only to hear that holy name, but also to see everywhere the image of his body, and to have a kind of double consolation for his absence.

For indeed, as soon as he had entered, he was cast out of the city, the enemies of the truth driving him away. But God allowed this, wishing to show at the same time both his virtue and your courage. For when he had entered, like Moses into Egypt, he delivered the city from heretical error, and having cut off the rotten and incurably sick members from the rest of the body, he restored complete health to the multitude of the Church, the enemies of the truth, not bearing the correction, having moved the reigning emperor at that time, cast him out of the city, expecting by this to overcome the truth and to overturn the correction that had been made. But the opposite of what they expected happened, and both your zeal was shown the more, and the proof of his teaching skill shone forth; his, because in not even thirty whole days he was able so to establish you in the zeal of the faith, that when a myriad of spirits afterwards assailed you, that teaching remained unshaken; and your fervor was shown, because in not even thirty whole days you so precisely received the seeds sown by him, as to send the roots down to the depth of your mind, and to yield to none of the temptations that were afterwards brought against you.

B. Nor is it right to pass over that which happened during the persecution itself.

For when the ruler of the city, driving his chariot, went out through the middle of the marketplace, having seated that holy man beside him, showers of stones were thrown from all sides upon the head of the ruler, as the city could not bear the separation, but chose rather to lose this present life than to see that holy man torn away. What then did that blessed man do? Seeing the volleys of stones, he wrapped his own garments around the head of the ruler and hid it, at the same time both shaming his enemies by his extraordinary forbearance, and teaching his own disciples how much long-suffering they ought to show towards those who wrong them; and how it was fitting not only to do them no harm, but even if danger came upon them from others, to repel it with all eagerness. Who did not shudder then, seeing both the frenzied love of the city, and being struck by the teacher's supreme philosophy, and his forbearance, and his gentleness? For indeed the things then happening were extraordinary. The shepherd was being driven away, and the sheep were not scattered; the pilot was being cast out, and the ship was not sunk; the husbandman was being persecuted, and the vine bore more fruit.

For since you were bound to one another by the bond of love, not the onset of temptations, not the rising up of dangers, not the length of a journey, not of time

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ἐκείνης ὥσπερ φωτὸς εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐμπεσούσης, ἕκαστος ὥσπερ λύχνον ἀνάπτων εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσῆγε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τὸ τοῦ μακαρίου τότε ἐκείνου ὄνομα, ὥσπερ τινὰ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν θησαυρὸν διὰ τῆς ἐπωνυμίας ἐπισπώμενος· καὶ ἦν εὐλαβείας διδασκαλία τὸ γιγνόμενον. Συνεχῶς γὰρ ἀναγκαζόμενοι τῆς προσηγορίας ἐκείνης μεμνῆσθαι, καὶ τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, παντὸς ἀλόγου πάθους καὶ λογισμοῦ φυγαδευτήριον εἶχον τὸ ὄνομα· καὶ οὕτω πολὺ γέγονε τοῦτο, ὡς πανταχοῦ καὶ ἐν ἀμφόδοις, καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, καὶ ἐν ἀγροῖς, καὶ ἐν ὁδοῖς τούτῳ πάντοθεν περιηχεῖσθαι τῷ ὀνόματι. Οὐ πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐπάθετε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ σώματος τὸν τύπον. Ὅπερ γοῦν ἐν ὀνόμασιν ἐποιήσατε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐπράξατε τῆς ἐκείνου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν δακτυλίων σφενδόναις, καὶ ἐν ἐκτυπώμασι, καὶ ἐν φιάλαις, καὶ ἐν θαλάμων τοίχοις, καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην διεχάραξαν πολλοὶ, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἀκούειν τῆς ἁγίας προσηγορίας ἐκείνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁρᾷν αὐτοῦ πανταχοῦ τοῦ σώματος τὸν τύπον, καὶ διπλῆν τινα τῆς ἀποδημίας ἔχειν παραμυθίαν.

Καὶ γὰρ εὐθέως εἰσελθὼν, τῆς πόλεως ἐξεβάλλετο, τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθρῶν ἀπελαυνόντων αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς συνεχώρησεν ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν ἐκείνου, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν τὴν ὑμετέραν δεῖξαι βουλόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰσελθὼν, καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον, αἱρετικῆς τὴν πόλιν ἀπήλλαξε πλάνης, καὶ τὰ σεσηπότα μέλη καὶ ἀνιάτως ἔχοντα τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος ἀποκόψας, ἀκέραιον τὴν ὑγίειαν ἐπανήγαγε τῷ πλήθει τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ τὴν διόρθωσιν οὐκ ἐνεγκόντες, τὸν βασιλεύοντα τότε κινήσαντες, τῆς πόλεως αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλον, ταύτῃ προσδοκῶντες περιέσεσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τὴν τῶν γεγενημένων ἀνατρέψειν διόρθωσιν. Ἐγίνετο δὲ τοὐναντίον ἢ προσεδόκησαν, καὶ μᾶλλον καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ ζῆλος ἐδείκνυτο, καὶ ἐκείνου διέλαμπεν ἡ τῆς διδασκαλικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀπόδειξις· ἐκείνου μὲν ὅτι ἐν τριάκοντα ἡμέραις οὐδ' ὅλαις ἴσχυσεν οὕτως ὑμᾶς θεμελιῶσαι ἐν τῷ ζήλῳ τῆς πίστεως, ὡς μυρίων μετὰ ταῦτα προσβαλόντων πνευμάτων, ἄσειστον μεῖναι τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐκείνην· ὑμῶν δὲ ἡ θερμότης ἐδείκνυτο, ὅτι ἐν τριάκοντα οὐδὲ ὅλαις ἡμέραις οὕτω μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὰ παρ' ἐκείνου καταβληθέντα ἐδέξασθε σπέρματα, ὡς πρὸς τὸ βάθος τῆς διανοίας παραπέμψαι τὰς ῥίψας, καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν προσενεχθέντων ἐνδοῦναι λοιπὸν πειρασμῶν.

βʹ. Ἄξιον δὲ μηδὲ ἐκεῖνο παραδραμεῖν, ὃ περὶ τὴν δίωξιν αὐτὴν συνέβαινεν.

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ τῆς πόλεως ἄρχων τὸ ὄχημα ἐλαύνων διὰ μέσης ἐξῄει τῆς ἀγορᾶς, πλησίον αὐτοῦ τὸν ἅγιον καθίσας ἐκεῖνον, νιφάδες λίθων πανταχόθεν ἐφέροντο ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἄρχοντος κεφαλὴν, οὐ φερούσης τῆς πόλεως τὸν χωρισμὸν, ἀλλ' αἱρουμένης καὶ τῆς παρούσης ἐκπεσεῖν ζωῆς, ἢ τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον ἀποσπώμενον ἰδεῖν. Τί οὖν ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος τότε ἐποίησεν; Ἰδὼν τὰς τῶν λίθων βολὰς τοῖς ἱματίοις τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ περιβαλὼν ἀπέκρυψε τοῦ ἄρχοντος τὴν κεφαλὴν, ὁμοῦ τε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῇ τῆς ἐπιεικείας ἐντρέπων ὑπερβολῇ, καὶ τοὺς αὑτοῦ μαθητὰς παιδεύων, ὅσην περὶ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἀνεξικακίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χρή· καὶ ὡς οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς ἐργάζεσθαι δεινὸν προσῆκεν, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ παρ' ἑτέρων αὐτοῖς ἐπῄει κίνδυνος, καὶ τοῦτον μετὰ πάσης ἀποκρούεσθαι τῆς σπουδῆς. Τίς οὐκ ἔφριξε τότε, καὶ τῆς πόλεως τὸν μανικὸν ὁρῶν ἔρωτα, καὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, καὶ τὴν πρᾳότητα καταπληττόμενος; καὶ γὰρ ἦν παράδοξα τὰ τότε συμβαίνοντα. Ὁ ποιμὴν ἀπηλαύνετο, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα οὐκ ἐσκορπίζετο· ὁ κυβερνήτης ἐξεβάλλετο, καὶ τὸ σκάφος οὐκ ἐβαπτίζετο· ὁ γεωργὸς ἐδιώκετο, καὶ ἡ ἄμπελος ἐκαρποφόρει πλέον.

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς ἀγάπης πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἦτε συνδεδεμένοι, οὐ πειρασμῶν ἐπαγωγαὶ, οὐ κινδύνων ἐπαναστάσεις, οὐχ ὁδοῦ μῆκος, οὐ χρόνου