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At that time, therefore, this blessed man was leading the Church among us, and the disease arose, like some terrible plague from the regions of Egypt, then, passing through the cities in between, it hastened to invade our city. But he, being watchful and sober, and foreseeing from afar all things to come, repelled the approaching war; and like some wise physician, before the disease invaded the city, sitting here, he prepared the remedies, and he steered this sacred ship with great safety, running about everywhere, assembling sailors, passengers, all who were sailing, preparing them to be sober, to be watchful, as pirates were attacking and attempting to plunder the treasure of the faith. And not only here did he use this foresight, but he also sent everywhere those who would teach, exhort, and converse, to wall off in advance the enemy's assault. For he had been well taught by the grace of the Spirit, that he who presides over a Church must care not only for that one entrusted to him by the Spirit, but also for all the Church throughout the world; and these things he learned from the sacred prayers. For if one must make prayers, he says, for the catholic Church from one end of the world to the other, much more must one also show foresight for all of it, and care for all of them alike, and be anxious for them all.

And what happened in the case of Stephen, this also happened in his case. For just as, not being able to withstand the wisdom of Stephen, the Jews stoned that holy man; so also these men, not being able to withstand his wisdom, and seeing the strongholds secured, finally cast the preacher out of the city. But the voice was not silenced; for the man was cast out, but the word of his teaching was not cast out. For Paul also was bound, yet the word of God was not bound; and he was in a foreign land, but his teaching was with us. Having cast him out, therefore, they rushed in banded together, like a violent torrent; but they neither swept away the plants, nor buried the seeds, nor ruined the husbandry; so well and with skill had they been rooted by the farming of his wisdom. But it is worth mentioning, for what reason God permitted him to be driven from here. The Church had recently caught its breath; it had no small comfort in his leadership; from all sides he walled it in, and repelled the attacks of the enemies. For what reason, then, was he cast out, and did God permit those who led him away? for what reason? And do not think that what is said is the solution to this difficulty alone; but whether you have a discussion with Greeks, or with other 50.603 heretics about such things, what will be said is sufficient to solve every difficulty. God permits his true and apostolic faith to be warred against in many ways, but allows the heresies and Hellenism to enjoy impunity. Why indeed? So that you may learn their weakness, being untroubled and collapsing on their own; and so that you may know the strength of the faith, being warred against, and growing through those who hinder it. And that this is not my conjecture, but a divine oracle brought from above, let us hear what Paul says about these things; for he also once suffered something human; for though he was Paul, yet he shared our nature. And what is it that he suffered? He was driven out, he was warred against, he was scourged, he was plotted against in countless ways, from without, from within, by those who seemed to be his own, by strangers. And what need is there to say how many tribulations he endured? Being weary, therefore, and no longer bearing the assaults of the enemies who were always interrupting his teaching and opposing his word, he falls before the Master, and beseeches him, and says: A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, that me

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Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοίνυν ἐκεῖνον ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ἐστρατήγει τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ αἴρεται μὲν ἡ νόσος, ὥσπερ τις λοιμὸς χαλεπὸς ἀπὸ τῶν Αἰγύπτου χωρίων, εἶτα διὰ τῶν μεταξὺ πόλεων βαδίζων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἔσπευδεν ἐμβαλεῖν τὴν ἡμετέραν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ἐγρηγορὼς καὶ νήφων, καὶ πάντα τὰ μέλλοντα προορῶν πόῤῥωθεν, προσιόντα τὸν πόλεμον ἀπεκρούετο· καὶ καθάπερ σοφός τις ἰατρὸς, πρὶν ἢ τὴν νόσον ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐνταῦθα καθήμε νος, τὰ φάρμακα κατεσκεύαζε, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ναῦν μετὰ πολλῆς ἐκυβέρνα τῆς ἀσφαλείας, παντα χοῦ περιτρέχων, ναύτας, ἐπιβάτας, τοὺς πλέοντας ἅπαντας συγκροτῶν, νήφειν, ἐγρηγορέναι παρασκευάζων, ὡς πειρατῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων καὶ τῆς πίστεως τὸν θησαυρὸν ἀποσυλῆσαι ἐπιχειρούντων. Οὐκ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μόνον ἐκέχρητο τῇ προνοίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντα χοῦ διεπέμπετο τοὺς διδάξοντας, παρακαλέσοντας, διαλεξομένους, προαποτειχίσοντας τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν ἔφοδον. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν πεπαιδευμένος καλῶς παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, ὅτι τὸν Ἐκκλησίας προ εστῶτα οὐκ ἐκείνης μόνης κήδεσθαι δεῖ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐγχειρισθείσης αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην κειμένης· καὶ ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐμάνθανεν εὐχῶν. Εἰ γὰρ τὰς εὐχὰς ποιεῖ σθαι δεῖ, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἀπὸ περάτων ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν ὑπὲρ ἁπάσης αὐτῆς ἐπι δείκνυσθαι δεῖ, καὶ ὁμοίως ἁπασῶν κήδεσθαι, καὶ μεριμνᾷν πάσας.

Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Στεφάνου γέγονε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνου συνέβαινεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἰσχύοντες ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ τῇ τοῦ Στεφάνου, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐλίθαζον τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι οὐκ ἰσχύοντες ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ τῇ τούτου, καὶ ὁρῶντες ἠσφαλισμένα τὰ ὀχυρώματα, ἐκβάλλουσι τῆς πόλεως λοιπὸν τὸν κήρυκα. Ἀλλ' ἡ φωνὴ οὐκ ἐσίγα, ἀλλ' ἐξεβάλλετο μὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ δὲ λόγος τῆς διδασκαλίας οὐκ ἐξεβάλλετο. Καὶ γὰρ Παῦλος ἐδέ δετο, καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐδέδετο· καὶ οὗτος ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ, καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία αὐτοῦ παρ' ἡμῖν. Ἐκ βάλλοντες τοίνυν ἐπεισῄεσαν συμφραξάμενοι, καθά περ χείμαῤῥος σφοδρός· ἀλλ' οὔτε τὰ φυτὰ παρέσυ ραν, οὔτε τὰ σπέρματα κατέχωσαν, οὔτε τὴν γεωρ γίαν ἐλυμήναντο· οὕτω καλῶς καὶ μετ' ἐπιστήμης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου γεωργηθέντα σοφίας ἐῤῥίζωτο. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἄξιον εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν συνεχώρησεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπελαθῆναι ἐντεῦθεν. Προσφάτως ἦν ἀναπνεύ σασα ἡ Ἐκκλησία· εἶχε παραμυθίαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν τὴν ἐπιστασίαν τὴν ἐκείνου· πανταχόθεν αὐτὴν ἐτείχιζεν, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὰς προσβολὰς ἀπεκρούετο. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐξεβάλλετο, καὶ συνεχώρει τοῖς ἀπάγουσιν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός; τίνος ἕνεκεν; Καὶ μή τοι νομίσητε ταύτης τῆς ἀπορίας λύσιν εἶναι τὸ λεγόμε νον μόνης· ἀλλὰ κἂν πρὸς Ἕλληνας, κἂν πρὸς αἱρε 50.603 τικοὺς ἄλλους ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων γίνηται λόγος, ἱκανὸν τὸ ῥηθησόμενον ἅπασαν λῦσαι τὴν ἀπορίαν. Ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μὲν πίστιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀποστο λικὴν ἐν πολλοῖς συγχωρεῖ πολεμεῖσθαι, τὰς δὲ αἱρέ σεις καὶ τὸν ἑλληνισμὸν ἀφίησιν ἀδείας ἀπο λαύειν. Τί δήποτε; Ἵνα ἐκείνων μὲν τὴν ἀσθένειαν μάθῃς οὐκ ἐνοχλουμένων, καὶ αὐτομάτως καταλυο μένων· τῆς δὲ πίστεως τὴν ἰσχὺν γνωρίσῃς πολεμου μένης, καὶ διὰ τῶν κωλυόντων αὐξανομένης. Καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἐμός ἐστιν οὗτος στοχασμὸς, ἀλλὰ θεῖος χρησμὸς ἄνωθεν ἐνεχθεὶς, ἀκούσωμεν Παύλου τί περὶ τούτων φησί· καὶ γὰρ ἔπαθέ τί ποτε ἀνθρώπινον καὶ οὗτος· εἰ γὰρ καὶ Παῦλος ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας μετέσχε φύσεως. Τί δέ ἐστιν, ὅπερ ἔπαθεν; Ἠλαύνετο, ἐπο λεμεῖτο, ἐμαστίζετο, μυρίοις ἐπεβουλεύετο τρόποις, ἔξωθεν, ἔσωθεν, ὑπὸ τῶν δοκούντων οἰκείων εἶναι, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν, ὅσας ὑπέμεινε θλίψεις; Κάμνων τοίνυν, καὶ μηκέτι φέρων τὰς προσ βολὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἀεὶ διακοπτόντων αὐτοῦ τὴν δι δασκαλίαν, καὶ ἐναντιουμένων αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ, προσ πίπτει τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, καὶ παρακαλεῖ αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγει· Ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκὶ ἄγγελος Σατᾶν, ἵνα με