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he descended; but here, when our nature was brought up into heaven, or rather to the royal throne, so the Spirit comes down. But if the Spirit were less, the things that happened would not have been greater and more wonderful. For these tablets are much better, and the achievements more glorious. For the apostles did not come down from a mountain carrying stone tablets in their hands, like Moses; but carrying the Spirit in their mind, and gushing forth a certain treasure and fountain of doctrines and graces and all good things, so they went about everywhere, becoming living books and laws through grace. In this way they drew the three thousand, in this way the five thousand, in this way the peoples of the world, God speaking through their tongue to all who approached. From which Matthew also, being filled with the Spirit, wrote what he wrote; Matthew the tax collector; for I am not ashamed to call him by his trade, neither him, nor the others. For this especially shows both the grace of the Spirit and their virtue. 2. And he rightly called his work a Gospel. For he came announcing to all the abolition of punishment, and the remission of sins, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, and adoption, and the inheritance of the heavens, and kinship with the Son of God; to the enemies, to the ungrateful, to those sitting in darkness. What then could ever be equal to these good tidings? God on earth, man in heaven; and all things were mingled together, 57.16 angels danced with men, men had fellowship with angels, and with the other powers above; and one could see the long-standing war ended, and the reconciliation of God to our nature accomplished, the devil put to shame, demons fleeing, death unbound, paradise opened, the curse vanished, sin removed out of the way, error driven away, truth returned, the word of piety sown everywhere and flourishing, the polity of those above planted on the earth, those powers conversing with us with boldness, and angels constantly visiting the earth, and great hope for the things to come. For this reason he called the history a Gospel, since all other things are but words destitute of substance, such as abundance of money, greatness of power, and offices and glories and honors, and whatever else is considered good among men. But the things announced by the fishermen might genuinely and properly be called gospels, not only because they are sure and immovable goods, and beyond our worthiness, but also because they were given to us with all ease. For not having toiled and sweated, nor having wearied and suffered, but only being loved by God, we received what we received. And why is it that, when there were so many disciples, only two of the apostles write, and two of their followers? For the one being a disciple of Paul, the other of Peter, wrote the Gospels along with John and Matthew. Because they did nothing for ambition, but all for need. What then? Was not one evangelist sufficient to say everything? He was sufficient; but when there are four who write, neither at the same times, nor in the same places, nor having met and conversed with each other, and then they all speak as if from one mouth, this becomes the greatest proof of the truth. And yet the contrary happened, he says; for in many places they are convicted of disagreeing. This very thing, then, is the greatest sign of the truth. For if they had all agreed with precision, even to the time, and to the place, and to the very words, none of the enemies would have believed that they did not meet and from some human compact write what they wrote; for such great agreement would not be of simplicity. But as it is, the seeming disagreement in small things frees them from all suspicion, and makes a brilliant defense for the character of the writers. But if they reported anything differently about times or places, this is nothing

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κατέβη· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ εἰς τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν ἀνενεχθείσης, οὕτω τὸ Πνεῦμα κάτεισιν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἔλαττον, οὐκ ἂν μείζονα ἦν τὰ γενόμενα καὶ θαυμαστότερα. Καὶ γὰρ αἱ πλάκες αὗται πολλῷ βελτίους, καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα λαμπρότερα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ὄρους κατῄεσαν στήλας φέροντες λιθίνας ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς· ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ περιφέροντες, καὶ θησαυρόν τινα καὶ πηγὴν δογμάτων καὶ χαρισμάτων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀναβλύζοντες, οὕτω πανταχοῦ περιῄεσαν, βιβλία καὶ νόμοι γινόμενοι διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἔμψυχοι. Οὕτω τοὺς τρισχιλίους, οὕτω τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους, οὕτω τοὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπεσπάσαντο δήμους, τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων γλώττης τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ἅπασι διαλεγομένου. Ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ὁ Ματθαῖος τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐμπλησθεὶς ἔγραψεν ἅπερ ἔγραψε· Ματθαῖος ὁ τελώνης· οὐ γὰρ αἰσχύνομαι καλῶν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης, οὔτε τοῦτον, οὔτε τοὺς ἄλλους. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα δείκνυσι καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀρετήν. βʹ. Εὐαγγέλιον δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν πραγματείαν εἰκότως ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ γὰρ κολάσεως ἀναίρεσιν, καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων λύσιν, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἁγιασμὸν, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσιν, καὶ υἱοθεσίαν, καὶ κληρονομίαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ συγγένειαν πρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πᾶσιν ἦλθεν ἀπαγγέλλων· τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, τοῖς ἀγνώμοσι, τοῖς ἐν σκότῳ καθημένοις. Τί ποτ' οὖν τῶν εὐαγγελίων τούτων ἶσον γένοιτ' ἄν; Θεὸς ἐπὶ γῆς, ἄνθρωπος ἐν οὐρανῷ· καὶ πάντα ἀναμὶξ ἐγένετο, 57.16 ἄγγελοι συνεχόρευον ἀνθρώποις, ἄνθρωποι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἐκοινώνουν, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὸν χρόνιον λυθέντα πόλεμον, καὶ καταλλαγὰς Θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν γεγενημένας φύσιν, διάβολον αἰσχυνόμενον, δαίμονας δραπετεύοντας, θάνατον λελυμένον, παράδεισον ἀνοιγόμενον, κατάραν ἠφανισμένην, ἁμαρτίαν ἐκποδὼν γεγενημένην, πλάνην ἀπεληλαμένην, ἀλήθειαν ἐπανελθοῦσαν, τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸν λόγον πανταχοῦ κατασπειρόμενον καὶ κομῶντα, τὴν τῶν ἄνω πολιτείαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πεφυτευμένην, μετὰ ἀδείας τὰς δυνάμεις ἐκείνας ὁμιλούσας ἡμῖν, καὶ τῇ γῇ συνεχῶς ἀγγέλους ἐπιχωριάζοντας, καὶ πολλὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων τὴν ἐλπίδα οὖσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Εὐαγγέλιον τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς τά γε ἄλλα πάντα ῥήματα μόνον ἐστὶ πραγμάτων ἔρημα, οἷον χρημάτων περιουσία, δυναστείας μέγεθος, καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ δόξαι καὶ τιμαὶ, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀγαθὰ εἶναι νομίζεται. Τὰ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἁλιέων ἀπαγγελθέντα γνησίως τε καὶ κυρίως εὐαγγέλια ἂν καλοῖντο οὐκ ἐπειδὴ βέβαια καὶ ἀκίνητα μόνον ἐστὶν ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας ἁπάσης ἡμῖν ἐδόθη. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πονήσαντες καὶ ἱδρώσαντες, οὐ καμόντες καὶ ταλαιπωρηθέντες, ἀλλ' ἀγαπηθέντες παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνον, ἐλάβομεν ἅπερ ἐλάβομεν. Καὶ τί δήποτε τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν μαθητῶν, δύο γράφουσιν ἐκ τῶν ἀποστόλων μόνοι, καὶ δύο ἐκ τῶν τούτοις ἀκολούθων; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Παύλου, ὁ δὲ Πέτρου μαθητὴς ὢν, μετὰ Ἰωάννου καὶ Ματθαίου τὰ Εὐαγγέλια ἔγραψαν. Ὅτι οὐδὲν πρὸς φιλοτιμίαν ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ πάντα πρὸς χρείαν. Τί οὖν; Οὐκ ἤρκει εἷς εὐαγγελιστὴς πάντα εἰπεῖν; Ἤρκει μέν· ἀλλὰ κἂν τέσσαρες ὦσιν οἱ γράφοντες, μήτε κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς, μήτε ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς τόποις, μήτε συνελθόντες καὶ διαλεχθέντες ἀλλήλοις, εἶτα ὥσπερ ἀφ' ἑνὸς στόματος πάντα φθέγγωνται μεγίστη τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξις τοῦτο γίνεται. Καὶ μὴν τοὐναντίον συνέβη, φησί· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ διαφωνοῦντες ἐλέγχονται. Αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μέγιστον δεῖγμα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα συνεφώνησαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ μέχρι καιροῦ, καὶ μέχρι τόπου, καὶ μέχρι ῥημάτων αὐτῶν, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐπίστευσε τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτι μὴ συνελθόντες ἀπὸ συνθήκης τινὸς ἀνθρωπίνης ἔγραψαν ἅπερ ἔγραψαν· οὐ γὰρ εἶναι τῆς ἁπλότητος τὴν τοσαύτην συμφωνίαν. Νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ δοκοῦσα ἐν μικροῖς εἶναι διαφωνία πάσης ἀπαλλάττει αὐτοὺς ὑποψίας, καὶ λαμπρῶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ τρόπου τῶν γραψάντων ἀπολογεῖται. Εἰ δέ τι περὶ καιρῶν ἢ τόπων διαφόρως ἀπήγγειλαν, τοῦτο οὐδὲν