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You hold to his words when he says: "As the one who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater things than these will he do?" Were you not with him when he, by a command, caused the already [φ. 164 ρο] dead to leap up? when he gave the power of sight to those deprived of light? when he rose from the tomb and showed the guards to be as dead men, and kept the seals unharmed? when he granted you the power of signs through the coming of the Spirit? when the lame man at the beautiful gate? when Aeneas? when Tabitha? you made the one sound of foot and swift? you freed the other from a chronic illness? and you brought back her soul after it had flown away? Having participated in so many and so great wonders, having seen some and done others yourself, and having received much experience of the power of God, do you now know that the Lord has sent his angel and delivered you from the hand of Herod? If you were not convinced by the preceding wonders, how will you be convinced by this one? If the multitude of these did not provide you with confirmation of the truth, how does this single one calm your wavering thought? "Yes," he says, "for such are not the things of divine power, to be easily comprehended and readily led to faith. For this not only does not augment [φ. 164 ῃο] the wonders, but it also diminishes and lessens them and erases their impressions from the soul; but that which has been tested often with torment and doubtful reasonings, and creates more the impression of a fantasy than of the truth, as the uncertain and weak soul makes the event difficult to accept, even for things terrifying beyond sense; it knows how, after that great and varied agitation of thoughts, at the very end the faithful and true thing enters and deepens in souls, and grants a fixed and strong permanence.

24 From there, having approached the house of the assembled faithful and knocked on the gate, he was recognized by the maidservant and announced to those inside, but he was disbelieved, and as she announced the good news of his presence, she was even accused of madness, and they thought that not he, but his angel was present.

25 And as the gate was opened and he entered inside, ecstasy and amazement seized them, seeing the unexpectedness of the deliverance, and he immediately recounted his seizure by Herod, his confinement in prison, his binding with iron chains, the angelic appearance [φ. 165 ρο], and how through his vision the chains fell from his hands, and he, following him, passed the guards' posts and went through the gate which opened of its own accord. 26 At which things, being terrified and astonished at the wonder of the narrative, they could not contain themselves, joy being mixed with wonder, and they being besieged by these two passions. For such are the things of God, causing the hearer neither to be overcome by excessive gladness, nor to fall into extreme astonishment and ecstasy because of the wonder; but through the one he raises the soul and directs it toward cheerfulness; but through the others, contracting, he holds it back and restrains its forward impulse, and through both he preserves the hearer in a composed state.

27 But consider for me his lack of pride and ambition, and the modesty inherent in him regarding the wonders. For he did not trumpet the wonders, as someone else might perhaps have done; not as if parading his achievements did he proclaim these things from the rooftops, he did not, out of excessive joy, triumphantly announce the things concerning himself to the church, he did not communicate them to proselytes or acquaintances, but having motioned with his hand to those in the church, [φ. 165 ῃο] to these alone he quietly announced them, and with them also to James and those with him.

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τοὺς αὐτοῦ κατέχεις λόγους φάσκοντος· «Ὡς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει, καὶ μείζονα τούτων ἐργάσεται; Οὐ συμπαρῆς αὐτῷ ὅτε τοὺς ἤδη [φ. 164 ρο] νενεκρωμένους προστάγματι παρεσκεύαζεν ἅλλεσθαι; ὅτε τοῖς ἐστερημένοις φωτὸς τὴν ὀπτικὴν παρεῖχεν ἐνέργειαν; ὅτε τοῦ μνήματος ἐξανίστατο καὶ τοὺς φρουροῦντας νεκροὺς ἀπεδείκνυεν, καὶ τὰς σφραγῖδας ἀλυμάντους ἐφύλαττεν; ὅτε σοι τὴν δύναμιν τῶν σημείων διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπιδημίας κεχάριστο; ὅτε τὸν ἐν τῇ ὡραίᾳ πύλῃ χωλόν; ὅτε τὸν Αἰνέαν; ὅτε τὴν Ταβηθᾶ; τὸν μὲν ἀρτίπουν καὶ εὔδρομον ἀπειργάζου; τὸν δὲ τῆς χρονίας ἀπελύτρου ἀρρωστίας; τῆς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποπτᾶσαν ἐπανήγαγες; Τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων θαυμάτων γενόμενος ἐν μετοχῇ, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἰδὼν, τὰ δὲ δράσας αὐτός, καὶ πεῖραν πολλὴν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως εἰληφὼς, νῦν οἶδας ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλε Κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐῤῥύσατό σε ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρώδου; Εἰ μὴ τοῖς προγεγενημένοις θαύμασιν ἐπιστώθης, πῶς τῷ ἑνὶ πιστωθήσῃ; Εἰ μὴ τὸ τούτων πλῆθος βεβαίωσίν σοι παρέσχε τῆς ἀληθείας, πῶς τὸ μοναδικὸν καταπραύνει σου τὸν λογισμὸν κυμαινόμενον; Ναὶ, φησὶν, οὐ γὰρ τοιαῦτα τὰ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, ὥςτε ῥᾳδίως καταλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ πρὸς πίστιν εὐκόλως ἐνάγεσθαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ μόνον οὐκ αὔξει [φ. 164 ῃο] τὰ θαύματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ μειοῖ ταῦτα καὶ ἐλαττοῖ καὶ τοὺς τούτων χαρακτῆρας ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπαλείφει· τὸ δὲ μετὰ βασάνου καὶ λογισμῶν ἀμφιβόλων πολλάκις δοκιμασθέν, καὶ πλέον τοῦ ἀληθοῦς τὸ φαντασιῶδες ἐμποιῆσαι, ὡς τοῦ ἀβεβαίου καὶ ἀσθενοῦς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ τὰ ὑπὲρ αἴσθησιν φρικτὰ δυσπαράδεκτον ποιοῦντος τὸ ἐνεργούμενον· οἶδε μετὰ τὸν πολὺν καὶ ποικίλον ἐκεῖνον σάλον τῶν λογισμῶν, περὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτὸ τὸ πιστὸν καὶ ἀληθὲς, ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐνιέναι καὶ ἐμβαθύνειν, καὶ παγίαν καὶ ἰσχυρὰν χαρίζεσθαι μονιμότητα.

24 Ἐντεῦθεν τῇ τῶν συνηθροισμένων οἰκίᾳ πιστῶν προσελθὼν καὶ τὴν πύλην πατάξας, ἀνεγνωρίζετο μὲν παρὰ τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ τοῖς ἔνδον κατεμηνύετο, ἠπιστεῖτο δὲ, τὴν τούτου δὲ παρουσίαν εὐαγγελιζομένης, ὡς καὶ μανίαν ἐγκληθῆναι καὶ οὐκ αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτου παρεῖναι ἄγγελον αὐτοὺς οἴεσθαι.

25 Ὡς δὲ τῆς πύλης διανοιγείσης εἰσῄει πρὸς τὸ ἐνδότερον, ἔκστασίς τε αὐτοὺς κατεῖχε καὶ θάμβος, τὸ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως ὁρῶντας ἀνέλπιστον, καὶ ὃς αὐτίκα διηγεῖτο τὴν ὑπὸ Ἡρώδου κατάσχεσιν, τὴν ἐν φυλακῇ κάθειρξιν, τὴν διὰ σιδηρῶν ἁλύσεων δέσμησιν, τὴν ἀγγελικὴν ἐπιφάνειαν [φ. 165 ρο], καὶ ὅπως διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου ὀπτασίας, αἱ μὲν ἁλύσεις τῶν χειρῶν ἐξέπιπτον, αὐτὸς δὲ αὐτῷ ἀκολουθῶν, καὶ τῶν φρουρούντων παρῆλθε τὰς φυλακὰς καὶ τὴν πύλην αὐτομάτην διανοιχθεῖσαι διεληλύθει. 26 Πρὸς οἷσπερ ἐκδειματωθέντες καὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ διηγήματος καταπλαγέντες ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν μένειν οὐκ ἐδύναντο, τῆς χαρᾶς συγκραθείσης τῷ θαύματι καὶ ὑπὸ δύο τούτων παθῶν πολιορκουμένων. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὔτε ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν εὐθυμίας ἐκλύεσθαι παρασκευάζοντος τὸν ἀκροατὴν, οὔτε ὑπὸ τοῦ θαύματος ἐκπίπτειν πρὸς τὸ λίαν θαμβητικὸν καὶ ἐξεστηκός· ἀλλὰ διὰ μὲν τῆς ἀνίστησι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸ εὐφρόσυνον μετατίθησι· διὰ δὲ τῶν συστέλλων ἐπέχει καὶ τῆς τοῦ πρόσω ἀναχαιτίζει ὁρμῆς καὶ δι' ἀμφοῖν ἐν τῷ καθεστῶτι συντηρεῖ τὸν ἀκούοντα.

27 Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ ἀφιλότιμον, καὶ τὴν ἐνοῦσαν αὐτῷ μετριοφροσύνην πρὸς τὰ παράδοξα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐσάλπισεν τὰ τοῦ θαύματος, ὅπερ ἂν ἄλλος ἴσως πέπονθέ τις· οὐχ ὥσπερ ἐκπομπεύων τοῖς κατορθώμασιν ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων ταῦτα ἐκήρυξεν, οὐκ ἐκ περιχαρείας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐθριάμβευσεν, οὐ προσηλύτοις, οὐ γνωρίμοις αὐτὰ προσανέθετο, ἀλλὰ κατασείσας τῇ χειρὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ [φ. 165 ῃο] τούτοις μόνοις ἡσυχῆ προσανήγγειλεν, μεθ' ὧν καὶ Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ.