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the last-born Benjamin. And he made his portion five times as large as the portion of his brothers, which is a type of the future: Joseph of the Lord, the other brothers of the disciples, and Benjamin of the Apostle, as he testifies for himself, saying: Of the tribe of Benjamin, and there Benjamin, younger in ecstasy; “younger” because of being last, and “in ecstasy” because of the vision on the road. He was beside himself from the things of the law, he was beside himself from heavenly things, and he was beside himself from bodily things; he considered all things as refuse, that he might gain Christ.

Be persuaded, then, that this younger one, the last-born, the last of the disciples, the one born out of due time above all, the offscouring of the whole world, will be honored fivefold by the Lord, as Benjamin was by Joseph, he who was not present at the selling of his brother, who did not consent with his brothers, who always remained with his own father and in nothing grieved him; so also this one will be honored not according to grace, but according to what is owed, as one who has labored more abundantly than all, as one who has always remained with God the Father, as one not present at the betrayal of Judas; for he was blameless in the law and incomparable among the apostles. For I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church, of which I became a minister, according to that: He who would be among you. Do you see what things he utters, what things he testifies for himself? How, in as many afflictions as Christ was lacking by not having undergone, he himself filled up, saying: I fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ? He means to say: Christ is the fulfillment of the law, I am the fulfillment of afflictions; truly in beatings beyond measure, in afflictions exceedingly, in necessities, in distresses, in labor and toil, night and day, and those things which he himself enumerated, saying, apart from the things without.

But who dares to say? The same one said: I am not conscious of anything against myself, and becoming blameless, in order to show us that it is a great thing for one not to be conscious of anything against oneself, and secondly of what is sought, saying: But I am not thereby justified. And again: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me; he did not say: will give me; 430 for to give is a matter of grace, but which he will award; for to award is a matter of debt. For what is given according to grace, he speaks thus: Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you, not which was awarded to you. But the crown is given not according to grace, but according to what is owed to those who have competed lawfully. For if anyone competes, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully. Who of those who have departed has said, who of those to come will say these things: 20I have finished the race,20 and: 20he will award to me20 the crown as some debt, and: I fill up what is lacking, and: I labored more than all, and: are they ministers? I more. Not unjustly, therefore, a chosen instrument as a servant, like Moses. Not faithful like Abraham, not guileless like David, not blameless or God-fearing like Job, but he called him a chosen instrument; and the choice shows what is better; for no one in choosing chooses the worse. For he chose us, he says, before the foundation of the world, that we should be blameless and holy before him. From among the chosen, therefore, the Apostle is one chosen. For I endure these things, he says, for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain salvation and you may imitate the Lord, who for our sake endured the cross, that we might obtain salvation. Justly, therefore, he commanded, saying: If you become imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.

Did you see the good confidence of a good soul? did you see one more chosen than the chosen, last of all in the preaching, but first of all; last in the world, first in the kingdom; last to believe, first to be saved and crowned? it is right to say: The last shall be first; for he was in no way inferior to the most eminent apostles, I dare say; I now pursue the boldness and the word, not because not

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τὸν ἐσχατογενῆ Βενιαμίν. Ἐπενταπλασίασε δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν μερίδα ὡς πρὸς τῇ μερίδι τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ὅπερ τύπος ἐστὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος, ὁ μὲν Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Κυρίου, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἀδελφοὶ τῶν μαθητῶν· ὁ δὲ Βενιαμὶν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, καθὼς ἑαυτῷ μαρτύρεται λέγων· Ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, καὶ ἐκεῖ Βενιαμὶν νεώτερον ἐν ἐκστάσει· τὸ μὲν νεώτερον διὰ τὸ ἔσχατον, ἐν ἐκστάσει δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ὀπτασίαν. Ἐξέστη δὲ καὶ τῶν νομικῶν, ἐξέστη δὲ καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων, ἐξέστη καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν· πάντα ἡγήσατο σκύβαλα, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσῃ.

Πείσθητι οὖν, ὅτι οὗτος ὁ νεώτερος, ὁ ἐσχατογενής, ὁ ἔσχατος τῶν μαθητῶν, τὸ ἔκτρωμα παρὰ πάντας, τὸ περικάθαρμα τοῦ κόσμου παντός, πενταπλασίως τιμηθήσεται παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ Βενιαμίν, ὁ μὴ συμπαρὼν ἐν τῇ πράσει τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ὁ μὴ συγκατατιθέμενος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ὁ πάντοτε παραμείνας τῷ ἑαυτοῦ πατρὶ καὶ εἰς μηδὲν λυπήσας· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ οὗτος οὐ κατὰ χάριν τιμηθήσεται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ὀφείλημα, ὡς περισσότερον πάντων κεκοπιακώς, ὡς ἀεὶ παραμείνας τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί, ὡς μὴ συμπαρὼν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Ἰούδα προδοσίᾳ· ἐγένετο γὰρ ἐν νόμῳ ἄμεμπτος καὶ ἐν ἀποστόλοις ἀσύγκριτος· Τὰ ὑστερήματα γὰρ τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνταναπληρῶ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία, ἧς ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ διάκονος, κατὰ τό· Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν. Ὁρᾷς οἷα φθέγγεται, οἷα προσμαρτυρεῖ ἑαυτῷ; πῶς εἰς ὅσας θλίψεις ὑστέρησε μὴ φθάσας ὁ Χριστός, αὐτὸς ἀνεπλήρωσε λέγων· Ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θέλει εἰπεῖν· πλήρωμα Χριστὸς νόμου, πλήρωμα θλίψεων ἐγώ· ἀληθῶς ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θλίψεσιν ὑπερεχόντως, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις, ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ἅπερ αὐτὸς ἀπηριθμήσατο λέγων, χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτός.

Τίς δὲ τολμᾷ εἰπεῖν; Ὁ αὐτὸς εἴρηκε τό· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, καὶ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος, ἵνα δείξῃ ἡμῖν εἶναι μέγαν τῷ μὴ συνειδέναι ἑαυτῷ τι, καὶ δεύτερον τοῦ ζητουμένου λέγων· Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι· καὶ πάλιν· Τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ Κύριος· οὐκ εἶπε· δώσει μοι· 430 κατὰ χάριν γὰρ τὸ δοῦναι, ἀλλ' ὃν ἀποδώσει· τὸ γὰρ ἀποδοῦναι ὀφειλῆς ἐστιν· ὃ γὰρ κατὰ χάριν δίδοται, οὕτως λέγων· Μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθη σοι, οὐχ ὃ ἀπεδόθη σοι. Ὁ δὲ στέφανος οὐ κατὰ χάριν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ὀφειλὴν δίδοται τοῖς νομίμως ἀθλήσασιν. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἀθλῇ, οὐ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ. Τίς τῶν ἀπελθόντων εἶπε, τίς τῶν ἐρχομένων λέξει ταῦτα· 20Τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα,20 καὶ τό· 20ἀποδώσει μοι20 ὥσπερ τι χρέος τὸν στέφανον, καὶ τό· ἀναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα, καὶ τό· περισσότερον πάντων ἐκοπίασα, καὶ τό· διάκονοί εἰσιν; ὕπερ ἐγώ. Οὐκ ἀδίκως οὖν σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς ὡς θεράποντα, ὡς τὸν Μωσέα. Οὐ πιστὸν ὡς Ἀβραάμ, οὐκ ἄκακον ὡς τὸν ∆αυίδ, οὐκ ἄμεμπτον ἢ θεοσεβῆ ὡς τὸν Ἴωβ, ἀλλὰ σκεῦος αὐτὸν ἐκλογῆς προσηγόρευσεν· ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ τὸ κρεῖττον δείκνυσιν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐκλεγόμενος τὸ χεῖρον ἐκλέγεται· Ἐξελέξατο γὰρ ἡμᾶς, φησί, πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἀμώμους καὶ ἁγίους κατ' ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Ἐκ τῶν οὖν ἐκλεκτῶν ἐκλεκτὸς εἷς ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ταῦτα γὰρ ὑπομένω, φησί, διὰ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ σωτηρίας τύχωσι καὶ μιμεῖσθε τὸν Κύριον, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ὑπομείναντα τὸν σταυρόν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς σωτηρίας τύχωμεν. ∆ικαίως οὖν προέτασσεν λέγων· Εἰ δὲ μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ.

Ἴδες ἀγαθὴν πεποίθησιν ἀγαθῆς ψυχῆς; ἴδες ἐκλεκτῶν ἐκλεκτότερον, ἔσχατον πάντων τοῦ κηρύγματος, πρῶτον δὲ πάντων· ἔσχατον ἐν κόσμῳ, πρῶτον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ· ἔσχατον εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι, πρῶτον εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι καὶ στεφανωθῆναι; δίκαιον εἰπεῖν· Ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑστέρησε τῶν ὑπὲρ λίαν ἀποστόλων, τολμῶ εἰπεῖν· τόλμην καὶ τὸν λόγον νῦν ἐπεξέρχομαι, οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ