6

with his execution. Do you see how the wolf became a shepherd? Are you not ashamed, hearing before this that he was a persecutor and a blasphemer and a violent man? Have you seen how the former accusation has made his eulogy greater? Did I not tell you in the previous gathering that the signs after the cross were greater than the signs before the cross? Did I not show you both from the signs, and from the good-will of the disciples, and how before this Christ raised the dead by commanding it, but afterwards the shadows of his servants did this? How then he himself worked wonders by commanding, but afterwards his servants, using his name, did greater things? Did I not tell you about the enemies, how he shook their conscience? How he prevailed over the whole inhabited world? How the signs after the cross were greater than those before the cross? A brother of that discourse is also the one introduced today. For what greater sign could there be than that concerning Paul? For while He was living, even Peter denied him, but after He died, Paul confessed him. But a greater sign than raising the dead by shadows was to draw over and capture the mind of Paul. For in that case nature followed, and did not speak against the one commanding; but in this case there was a choice, with authority to be persuaded, and not to be persuaded; whence the great power of the one who persuaded is shown. For to change a choice was much greater than to correct nature; therefore, a greater sign than all the others 51.121 was Paul's coming to Christ after the cross and the tomb. For on this account also Christ allowed him to display all his enmity, and then He called him, so that He might make the proof of the resurrection, and the word of his teaching, above suspicion. For Peter, when speaking about him, was perhaps suspected; for some of the shameless might say something. But I said "of the shameless," because even in that case the proof was clear. For he too denied him before, and denied him with an oath, but nevertheless, confessing this same one later, he even gave up his own life. But if He had not risen, he who denied Him when living would not have endured countless deaths so as not to deny Him when He was dead; wherefore in Peter's case also the proof of the resurrection was clear. But nevertheless the shameless could say this, that because he was his disciple, because he shared his table, and was with him for three years, because he enjoyed his teaching, because he was deceived and flattered by him, for this reason he preaches his resurrection; but when you see Paul, who did not know him, who did not hear him, who did not share in his teaching, who even after the cross made war on him, who was killing those who believed in him, who was confounding and disturbing all things, when you see this man suddenly changed, and in his labors for the sake of the preaching surpassing all the friends of Christ, what excuse of shamelessness will you have left, tell me, for disbelieving the word of the resurrection? For if Christ had not risen, who would have drawn over and brought to himself one so cruel and inhuman, one so hostile and savage? For tell me, O Jew, who persuaded Paul to come to Christ? Peter? Or James? Or John? But all these feared and shuddered at him, and not only before this, but also when he became one of the friends, when Barnabas took him by the hand and brought him up to Jerusalem, they still were afraid to associate with him; and the war had been ended, but the fear remained for the apostles. Would those, then, who still feared him when he was reconciled, have dared to persuade him when he was an enemy and an adversary? For would they have endured at all to approach, or to stand, or to open their mouth, or to appear at all? This is not so, it is not so; what was happening was not of human effort, but of divine grace. If, then, Christ was dead, as you say, and his disciples came and stole him, how did the signs become greater after the cross? how greater the

6

τῇ ἀναιρέσει αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ὁ λύκος ποιμὴν ἐγένετο; Ἆρ' οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθε πρὸ τούτου ἀκούοντες ὅτι διώκτης ἦν καὶ βλάσφημος καὶ ὑβριστής; Εἴδετε πῶς μεῖζον αὐτοῦ ἐποίησε τὸ ἐγκώμιον ἡ προτέρα κατηγορία; Οὐκ ἔλεγον ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ συνάξει ὅτι τῶν πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σημείων τὰ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν μείζονα ἐγένετο; οὐκ ἔδειξα ὑμῖν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς εὐνοίας τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ πῶς πρὸ τούτου μὲν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπιτάττων ἤγειρε τοὺς νεκροὺς, ὕστερον δὲ αἱ σκιαὶ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ τοῦτο ἐποίουν; πῶς τότε μὲν αὐτὸς κελεύων ἐθαυματούργει, ὕστερον δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ κεχρημένοι μείζονα ἐποίησαν; οὐκ εἶπον ὑμῖν περὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, πῶς διέσεισεν αὐτῶν τὸ συνειδός; πῶς ἐκράτησε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης; πῶς μείζονα τὰ σημεῖα μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἦν τῶν πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ; Ἀδελφὸς ἐκείνου καὶ ὁ σήμερον εἰσελθὼν λόγος. Τί γὰρ τοῦ κατὰ Παῦλον μεῖζον σημείου γένοιτ' ἄν; Ζῶντα μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἠρνήσατο, ἀποθανόντα δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ὡμολόγησε. Τοῦ δὲ νεκροὺς ἐγεῖραι διὰ τῶν σκιῶν μεῖζον σημεῖον ἦν τὸ τὴν γνώμην Παύλου ἐπισπάσασθαι καὶ ἑλεῖν. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἡ φύσις εἵπετο, καὶ οὐκ ἀντέλεγε τῷ ἐπιτάττοντι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ προαίρεσις ἦν τοῦ πεισθῆναι, καὶ τοῦ μὴ πεισθῆναι κυρία· ὅθεν πολλὴ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ πείσαντος δείκνυται. Τοῦ γὰρ φύσιν διορθῶσαι τὸ προαίρεσιν μεταβαλεῖν πολλῷ μεῖζον ἦν· μεῖζον ἄρα τῶν ἄλλων 51.121 ἁπάντων σημεῖον ἐγένετο τὸ Παῦλον προσελθεῖν τῷ Χριστῷ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸν τάφον. Καὶ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς πᾶσαν τὴν ἔχθραν ἐπιδείξασθαι, καὶ τότε ἐκάλεσεν, ἵνα ἀνύποπτον ποιήσῃ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ τὸν διδασκαλίας λόγον. Πέτρος μὲν γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγων ἴσως ὑπωπτεύετο· εἶχε γάρ τις τῶν ἀναισχύντων εἰπεῖν τι. Εἶπον δὲ τῶν ἀναισχύντων, ὅτι κἀκεῖ φανερὰ ἡ ἀπόδειξις ἦν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸν ἠρνήσατο πρότερον, καὶ ἠρνήσατο μεθ' ὅρκου, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον ὁμολογῶν ὕστερον καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπέδωκε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀνέστη, οὐκ ἂν ὁ ζῶντα ἀρνησάμενος, ὥστε μὴ ἀρνήσασθαι τελευτήσαντα, μυρίους ἂν θανάτους ὑπέμεινε· διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ Πέτρου φανερὰ ἡ ἀπόδειξις τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἦν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο μὲν εἶχον οἱ ἀναίσχυντοι λέγειν, ὅτι ἐπειδὴ μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ ἦν, ἐπειδὴ τραπέζης ἐκοινώνησεν αὐτῷ, καὶ τρία ἔτη αὐτῷ συνεγένετο, ἐπειδὴ διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυσεν, ἐπειδὴ ἐκολακεύθη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπατηθεὶς, διὰ τοῦτο κηρύττει αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνάστασιν· ὅταν δὲ Παῦλον ἴδῃς τὸν οὐκ εἰδότα αὐτὸν, τὸν οὐκ ἀκούσαντα αὐτοῦ, τὸν οὐ μετασχόντα τῆς διδασκαλίας, τὸν καὶ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτῷ πολεμοῦντα, τὸν ἀποκτιννύντα τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας, τὸν πάντα συγχέοντα καὶ ταράττοντα, τοῦτον ἐξαίφνης μεταβεβλημένον, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ κηρύγματος καμάτοις ἅπαντας παρελάσαντα τοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ φίλους, ποίαν ἕξεις λοιπὸν, εἰπέ μοι, ἀναισχυντίας πρόφασιν, ἀπιστῶν τῷ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγῳ; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀνέστη ὁ Χριστὸς, τίς τὸν οὕτως ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον, τίς τὸν ἐκπεπολεμωμένον καὶ ἠγριωμένον ἐπεσπάσατο ἂν, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπηγάγετο; Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, τίς Παῦλον ἔπεισε προσελθεῖν τῷ Χριστῷ; Πέτρος; ἀλλ' Ἰάκωβος; ἀλλ' Ἰωάννης; Ἀλλ' οὗτοι πάντες αὐτὸν ἐδεδοίκεισαν καὶ ἔφριττον, καὶ οὐχὶ πρὸ τούτου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε τῶν φίλων ἐγένετο, ὅτε Βαρνάβας ἐπιλαβόμενος αὐτοῦ τῆς χειρὸς ἐπανήγαγεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἔτι ἐφοβοῦντο κολλᾶσθαι αὐτῷ· καὶ ὁ μὲν πόλεμος ἐλέλυτο, ὁ δὲ φόβος ἐπέμενε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. Οἱ οὖν καταλλαγέντα αὐτὸν ἔτι φοβούμενοι, ἐχθρὸν ὄντα καὶ πολέμιον ἐτόλμων πεῖσαι; προσελθεῖν γὰρ ὅλως, ἢ στῆναι, ἢ διᾶραι στόμα, φανῆναι δὲ ὅλως ὑπέμενον; Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐκ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνη σπουδὴ τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ θείας χάριτος. Εἰ τοίνυν νεκρὸς ἦν, ὥς φατε, ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἔκλεψαν αὐτὸν, πῶς μείζονα τὰ σημεῖα μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐγένετο; πῶς πλείων ἡ