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4 Many laid claim to this fatherland and strove to return to it before the appointed time, pro phets, leaders, judges, kings, priests, just men, but they have not yet obtained the good thing; for the venom of the dragon had spread throughout the whole race. And it was possible to cast off much of the venom, but it had not yet vomited out all the poison. For these reasons law and prophecy were introduced and whatever belongs to the Old Testament and the veils and the shadow, pre-cleansing and pre-preparing for the reception of Christ. For these reasons Israel is baptized in a cloud and is led by a pillar of fire, so that the baptism according to Christ might be prefigured, which both cleanses with water and also makes disappear with the fire of the spirit the deep-seated defilements of the soul. From this came the New Testament, and God becomes man from a virgin, taking up our human substance, and the bodiless is embodied and the immaterial takes on matter; and the goal of the mystery is not only to redeem man from condemnation by cleansing like with like, nor only to lead him back to paradise from which he first slipped, but also to impart deification, the desire for which, [inspired] by the deceiver, long ago got him ostracized from delight. From this came the teaching of Christ and the unfolding of the veils and the breaking of the shell and the radiance of the pearl and the vision and manifestation of the mysteries hidden from the ages. From this came the following of disciples, and some go before while others follow, and they do not boast in the greatness of their precedence but by the measure of their love or by the standard of their teaching power and ability they are both preferred and chosen before others; and some boast of having seen for themselves and they relate the things of Christ, while others, though not having seen, have beheld and are taught the great mystery better than by sense perception.

5 Therefore, neither meeting Christ beforehand nor seeing him has any advantage, but pure faith and utterly unadulterated zeal, which those who are praised shared in, since others came to Christ before Peter, and Paul did not see him at all. But for these reasons they have not been prevented from being and being named by all as first and greater than those who met and saw Christ. For who is more fervent in faith than Peter? And who is more diligent towards the gospel than Paul? The one conquers by the zeal of his love for Christ, the other surpasses all in his words and teachings. What is a clearer mark of Peter than his burning and exceedingly fervent love for the Son of God, for which he is not only simply loved, but is also given laws and is entrusted with the teaching of the whole world? And what is a more evident symbol of Paul than his unrestrainable impulse towards preaching and his becoming all things to all men, that he might gain all or most, for which he also shared in the more ineffable things, so that he could not only transform his students with familiar things, but also transfer them to better things with things more divine and strange.

6 We have now set these men forth for praise, and we wish to praise them with words—but we are not able— not that we might add anything to them for praise —for it would be welcome if we did not even bring down the chief of the disciples by the weakness of our words— but so that we ourselves might mix words of salvation into the encomia by their memory. We see, then, waves already being borne one after another as upon a sea fanned by a strong wind. And in the case of one man, these things are difficult to encompass with measure; how then could I reach both of the two? And how would I be able to distinguish the particular qualities of each, which alone is a very great work and beyond logical art, since their citizenship is not according to nature nor on earth and in the things concerning earth, but in heaven and in the things concerning the heavens. Paul, who is being praised, says these things, and Peter walks even on the waves, and his shadow raises up the sick. And what word for that man

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4 Ταύτης πολλοὶ τῆς πατρίδος μετεποιήθησαν καὶ πρὸ τῆς προθεσμίας ἐπανελθεῖν ἐς ταύτην ἐφιλονείκησαν, προ φῆται, δημαγωγοί, κριταί, βασιλεῖς, ἱερεῖς, ἄνδρες δίκαιοι, ἀλλ' οὔπω τοῦ καλοῦ τετυχήκασιν· ὁ γὰρ ἰὸς τοῦ δράκοντος ἐς τὸ γένος ἅπαν ἐφιλοχώρησε. καὶ ἐξὸν μὲν ἦν τὸ πολὺ ἀποβαλεῖν τοῦ ἰοῦ, οὔπω δὲ ἅπαν ἐξέμεσε τὸ δηλητήριον. διὰ ταῦτα εἰσῆκται νόμος καὶ προφητεία καὶ ὅσα τῆς πα λαιᾶς διαθήκης καὶ τῶν παραπετασμάτων καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς, προκαθαίροντα καὶ προευτρεπίζοντα πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. διὰ ταῦτα βαπτίζεται νεφέλῃ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ πυρὸς ὁδηγεῖται στύλῳ, ἵνα προτυπωθῇ τὸ κατὰ Χριστὸν βάπ τισμα, ὃ καθαίρει μὲν καὶ τῷ ὕδατι, ἀφανίζει δὲ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τῷ πυρὶ τοὺς εἰς βάθος ῥύπους ψυχῆς. ἐντεῦθεν ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη, καὶ θεὸς ἄνθρωπος γίνεται ἐκ παρθένου τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀναλαβόμενος φύραμα, καὶ ὁ ἀσώματος σωμα τοῦται καὶ ὑλοῦται ὁ ἄυλος· καὶ τέλος τοῦ μυστηρίου οὐ μόνον τὸ ἐκλυτρῶσαι τῆς καταδίκης τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῖς ὁ μοίοις ἀνακαθαῖρον τὰ ὅμοια, οὐδὲ πρὸς μόνον ἐπαναγα γεῖν τὸν παράδεισον ὅθεν τὸ πρῶτον ἐξώλισθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεταδοῦναι θεώσεως, οὗ τῇ ἐφέσει παρὰ τοῦ ἀπατήσαντος πάλαι τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξωστράκισται. ἐντεῦθεν ἡ διδασκαλία Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡ τῶν παραπετασμάτων ἀνάπτυξις καὶ ἡ τοῦ ὀστρέου διάρρηξις καὶ τοῦ μαργαρίτου περίλαμψις καὶ τῶν κεκρυμμένων ἀπ' αἰῶνος μυστηρίων θεωρία τε καὶ φανέρω σις. ἐντεῦθεν ἀκολούθησις μαθητῶν, καὶ οἱ μὲν προλαμ βάνουσιν οἱ δ' ἕπονται, καὶ οὐ τῇ προλήψει τὸ μεγαλεῖον αὐχοῦσιν ἀλλὰ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἀγαπήσεως ἢ τῷ κανόνι τῆς διδασκαλικῆς δυνάμεώς τε καὶ ἕξεως τῶν ἄλλων προτιμῶνται τε καὶ προκρίνονται· καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτοψίαν αὐχοῦσι καὶ ἐξιστοροῦσι τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οἱ δὲ καὶ μὴ ἰδόντες τεθέανται καὶ τὸ μέγα μυστήριον κρειττόνως ἢ κατ' αἴσθησιν ἐκ διδάσκονται.

5 Οὔτε γοῦν προϋπάντησις εἰς Χριστὸν οὔτε δὲ ὄψις ἔχουσί τι πλέον λαβεῖν, πίστις δὲ ἀκραιφνὴς καὶ ζῆλος ἄγαν ἀνόθευτος, ὧν οἱ εὐφημούμενοι μετεσχήκασι, ἐπεὶ πρὸ Πέτρου μὲν προσῆλθον ἄλλοι Χριστῷ, Παῦλος δὲ οὐδὲ ὅλως τοῦτον τεθέαται. ἀλλ' οὐ κεκώλυνται διὰ ταῦτα τοῦ πρώτοι καὶ κρείττους τῶν προϋπαντησάντων καὶ τεθεαμένων Χριστὸν καὶ εἶναι παρὰ πᾶσι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι. τίς γὰρ εἰς πίστιν Πέτρου θερμότερος; τίς δὲ Παύλου πρὸς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον σπουδαιότερος; ὁ μὲν τῷ ζήλῳ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης νικᾷ, ὁ δὲ πάντας ὑπερβάλλει τοῖς λόγοις καὶ τοῖς διδάγμασι. τί μὲν Πέτρου καθαρώτερον γνώρισμα ἢ φιλία πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ διακαὴς καὶ ὑπέρθερμος, δι' ἣν καὶ φιλεῖται μόνον ἁπλῶς, νομοθετεῖται δὲ καὶ τὰ εἰς διδα καλίαν παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου πιστεύεται; τί δὲ Παύλου σύμ βολον ἐναργέστερον ἢ κίνησις ἀκάθεκτος πρὸς τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ τὸ πάντα γίνεσθαι πᾶσιν, ἵνα κερδήσῃ πάντας ἢ πλείονας, δι' ἣν καὶ τῶν ἀρρητοτέρων μετέσχηκεν, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἔχοι τοῖς γνωρίμοις τοὺς διδασκομένους μεταποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς θειοτέροις καὶ ξένοις μετατιθέναι πρὸς τὰ βελτίονα.

6 Τούτους ἀρτίως ἡμεῖς εἰς εὐφημίαν προθέμενοι βουλό μεθα μὲν ἐπαινέσαι τοῖς λόγοις-οὐ δυνάμεθα δέ- οὐχ' ἵνα τι καὶ προσθῶμεν τούτοις εἰς ἔπαινον-ἀγαπη τὸν γὰρ εἰ μὴ καὶ καταβάλλωμεν τῇ ἀδυναμίᾳ τῶν λόγων τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν μαθητῶν-ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ μνήμῃ τούτων σωτηρίας λόγους τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις ἐγκαταμίξαιμεν. ὁρῶμεν οὖν ἤδη ἄλλα ἐπ' ἄλλοις ἐπιφερόμενα κύματα ὡς ἐπὶ θαλάσσης ἀνέμῳ ῥιπιζομένης σφοδρῷ. καὶ ἐφ' ἑνὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἐργῶδες μέτρῳ περιλαβεῖν· πῶς δὲ καὶ τοῖν δυεῖν ἐφικοίμην; πῶς δὲ διακρῖναι δυνηθείην ἑκατέρου τὰ ἴδια, ὃ μόνον μέγιστον ἔργον καὶ τέχνης λογικῆς ὑπερκείμενον, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς τὸ πολίτευμα οὐδ' ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ τοῖς περὶ γῆν, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὰ οὐράνια. Παῦλος ταῦτα φάσκει ὁ εὐφημούμενος, Πέτρος δὲ καὶ κατὰ κυμάτων πεζεύει, καὶ ἡ τούτου σκιὰ τοὺς νοσοῦντας ἀνίστησι. καὶ τίς λόγον ἐκείνῳ