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you will hear thus (if indeed you are deemed worthy of an answer) these things: I, knowing all the choices that would be before the foundation of the world, secretly met each one according to his worth; and wishing to fully inform those who have fled to me of this very thing, that it is so, why from the beginning from former generations I did not allow my will to be publicly preached, now at the end of the age I have sent heralds of my will, who are both laughed at and, being insolently treated, are mocked by those who do not wish to be benefited at all and who have vehemently rejected my friendship. O great injustice! Heralds are in danger even unto death, and this at the hands of the men who are called to salvation. This thing which is unjustly done against my heralds would have been done to all from the beginning, if indeed the unworthy had been called to salvation from the beginning. For what is now done unjustly by them serves as a defense of my just providence, because I rightly did not wish from the beginning to set forth the word worthy of honor publicly for insult, to no profit, but I determined that it, as something precious, should be kept silent, not from those who were worthy from the beginning (to whom I also imparted it), but from these and such as these (as you see) who are unworthy, who hate me and do not wish to love themselves. And now, stop laughing at this man and inquire of me about his profession, or let whoever wishes answer me as I inquire, and do not bark like wanton dogs, stuffing the ears of those who wish to be saved with your disorderly noise. Unjust and hateful to God and occupying the saving reason with unbelief, how will you be able to obtain pardon, you who insult the one proclaiming to you the divinity of God, and this a man whom you ought to have accepted, even if he said nothing true, <on account of> his good will towards you? As I said these things and what followed them, there was a great murmur from the crowds. And some, pitying Barnabas, sided with me, but others, being fools, gnashed their teeth terribly against me. But when evening at last had come, taking Barnabas by the hand, though he was unwilling, I led him by force to my house, where I also made him stay, so that no one might lay hands on him. And having stayed for a few days and having instructed me briefly in the true word (a little, as in a few days), he said he was hurrying to Judea for the sake of the religious festival and wished for the future to be with his own countrymen. And it was clear to me that he had grown weary. For when I said: "You only set forth for me the words of the man who appeared which you heard, and I, having adorned them with my own speech, will preach the will of God, and then in this way within a few days I will sail with you (for I greatly long to be in the region of Judea), and perhaps I will even dwell with you for my entire life"—but he, hearing these things, answered: "If you wish to inquire into our affairs and to learn what is expedient, sail with me at once; since I will tell you today the signs of my dwelling and of the things you want, so that whenever you wish you may come and visit us; for tomorrow I will go to my own place." And so, seeing he was inflexible, I went with him to the harbor and, having learned from him the signs of the dwellings which he spoke of, I said to him: If it were not that I am demanding some money owed to me, I would
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τως ἀκούσεσθε (εἴπερ ἀποκρίσεως καταξιωθήσεσθε) τάδε· Ἐγὼ πά- σας τὰς ἐσομένας πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἰδὼς προαιρέσεις, ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὸ αὐτοῦ ἄξιον λανθανόντως προαπήντησα· τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ ὅτι οὕτως ἔχει βουληθεὶς τοὺς προσπεφευγότας μοι πληροφορῆσαι διὰ τί ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐκ προτέρων γενεῶν τὴν ἐμὴν βούλησιν δημοσίᾳ οὐκ εἴασα κηρυχθῆ- ναι, νῦν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ βίου κήρυκας ἐμῆς βουλῆς ἀπέστειλα, οἳ καὶ γελῶνται καὶ ὑβριζόμενοι χλευάζονται ὑπὸ τῶν μηδὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι θελόντων καὶ ἐπιτεταμένως τὴν ἐμὴν φιλίαν παραιτησαμένων. ὢ μεγάλης ἀδικίας· μέχρι φόνου κινδυνεύουσιν κήρυκες, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ τῶν εἰς σωτηρίαν καλου- μένων ἀνδρῶν. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἀδίκως γινόμενον κατὰ τῶν ἐμῶν κηρύκων ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἂν εἰς πάντας ἐγίνετο, εἴπερ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐκαλοῦντο οἱ ἀνάξιοι. τὸ γὰρ νῦν γινόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀδίκως εἰς ἀπολογίαν τῆς ἐμῆς δικαίας γίνεται προνοίας, ὅτι καλῶς τὸν τιμῆς ἄξιον λόγον ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δημοσίᾳ εἰς ὕβριν θεῖναι οὐκ ἐβουλήθην ἀνωφελῶς, ἀλλὰ σιγᾶσθαι αὐτὸν ὡς τίμιον ἐβουλευσάμην, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀξίων (οἷς καὶ μετέδωκα), ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων (ὡς ὁρᾶτε) ἀναξίων, τῶν ἐμὲ μισούντων καὶ ἑαυτοὺς φιλεῖν μὴ βουλομένων. καὶ νῦν γε παρέντες γελᾶν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸ τούτου ἐπάγγελμα πυνθάνεσθε ἢ πυνθανομέ- νῳ μοι ὁ βουλόμενος ἀποκρινάσθω, καὶ μὴ ὡς ἀσελγεῖς κύνες ὑλάσσετε, ψόφῳ ἀτάκτῳ βύοντες τῶν σσζεσθαι θελόντων τὰς ἀκοάς. ἄδικοι καὶ θεο- στυγεῖς καὶ τὸν σσζοντα λογισμὸν εἰς ἀπιστίαν ἀπασχολοῦντες, πῶς συγγνώ- μης τυχεῖν δυνήσεσθε, τὸν τὴν θειότητα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλόμενον ὑμῖν εἰπεῖν ὑβρίζοντες, καὶ ταῦτα ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἐχρῆν εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἀληθὲς λέγοντα <διὰ> τὴν ἀγαθὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀποδέξασθαι προαίρεσιν; Ταῦτά μου λέγοντος καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα, πολὺς τῶν ὄχλων ἐγίνετο θρῦλος. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡς τὸν Βαρνάβαν ἐλεῶντες συνήραντό μοι, οἱ δέ, ἠλίθιοι ὄντες, δεινῶς κατ' ἐμοῦ ἔβρυχον τοὺς ὀδόντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤδη ποτὲ ἑσπέρα κατειλήφει, τῆς χειρὸς λαβὼν τὸν Βαρνάβαν, μὴ θέλοντα βίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἦγον οἰκίαν, ἔνθα καὶ μένειν αὐτὸν ἐποίησα, ἵνα μή τις αὐτῷ χεῖρας ἐπιβάλῃ. καὶ ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων διατρίψας καὶ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς λόγου βραχέα κατηχήσας με (ὀλίγον ὡς ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις), σπεύδειν ἔλεγεν εἰς Ἰουδαίαν τῆς κατὰ τὴν θρησκείαν ἑορτῆς χάριν καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὁμοεθνέσιν συνεῖναι θέλων. φανερὸς δ' ἦν μοι ἀποναρ- κήσας. ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰπόντος· Σύ μοι μόνον τοὺς τοῦ φανέντος ἀνδρὸς οὓς ἤκουσας ἐκτίθου λόγους, κἀγὼ τῷ ἐμῷ κοσμήσας λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ κηρύξω τὴν βούλησιν καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἐντὸς ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν συνπλεύσω σοι (λίαν γὰρ ποθῶ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς Ἰουδαίας γενέσθαι τόπον), τάχα δὲ καὶ συνοικήσω ὑμῖν τὸν πάντα μου τῆς ζωῆς βίον-ὁ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἀπεκρίνατο· Σὺ εἰ μὲν ἱστορῆσαι τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ συμφέρον θέλεις, ἐξ αὐτῆς μοι σύμπλευσον· ἐπεί γε τὰ σημεῖα τῆς οἰκήσεώς μου καὶ ὧν θέλεις ἐγώ σοι σήμερον ἐρῶ, ἵνα ὅτε βούλει ἐλθὼν ἐπιστῇς ἡμῖν· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὔριον πορεύσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ. καὶ δὴ ἀδυσώπητον ἰδὼν συνῆλθον αὐτῷ μέχρι τοῦ λιμένος καὶ μαθὼν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἅπερ ἔλεγεν σημεῖα τῶν οἰκήσεων, ἔφην αὐτῷ· Eἰ μὴ ὅτι ἀργύριόν τι ἀπαιτῶ ὀφειλόμενόν μοι, ἐξ