6

We were despaired of, he says, we did not expect to live, but reasoned in ourselves that we would surely die; for this is, We had in ourselves the sentence of death; this is what our circumstances answered us, that we would surely perish. For what reason did God allow us to come into such great dangers? That we should not trust in ourselves, he says, but in God who raises the dead. What he says is this: That we should not think great things, that we should not be lifted up by our accomplishments. This he also says more clearly as he goes on, writing again thus; for after he spoke of the snatching up into heaven, the entrance into paradise, the partaking of those ineffable words, he added: And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me; hinting here at those who afflicted and insulted him, and cast him into prison; for each of these he calls Satan. I was allowed to endure temptations, he says, so that my arrogance might be suppressed, and I might learn to be moderate. For this reason, when I besought God, I did not receive my request; but I remained continually plotted against, having affliction as a medicine for humility. And his life before this, the one before his conversion, was sufficient to chasten him. For he who sat at the feet of Gamaliel, who lived according to the strictness of the ancestral law, who was zealous for the paternal traditions, who unrolled the prophets every day, who was brought up with the law, this man did not receive Christ when He came, and worked miracles, and said these things, and cited and interpreted the Scriptures, but persecuted Him even after He was crucified and had 63.468 risen, and with countless hands cast down His disciple, and warred against the Churches, and was more savage than any wolf; and until a light shone from above, and a voice was brought forth drawing him to the truth, he was not able of himself to perceive what was needful. Therefore he himself also constantly turns these things over in his epistles, bowing down and being veiled at the things which had already happened; and writing to Timothy he said: I thank Christ who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insolent man: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And again, For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first God might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting. And writing to the Corinthians he said: Who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church.

6. But all these things happened, and God left them destitute of his own

grace, that, when they have been taught their own weakness, and how man is nothing when deprived of help from above, ascending the judicial throne, and becoming leaders of the people and rulers, they might show much love for mankind, much condescension, much forgiveness toward those they rule. Wherefore also writing to the Galatians he said: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Knowing these things therefore, let us draw the unruly, let us be forgiving to those who sin, and let us show much love for mankind along with the laws of God; that we ourselves also may enjoy much forgiveness in those things in which we sin, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

6

Ἀπεγνώσθημεν, φησὶν, οὐ προσεδοκήσαμεν ζήσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἐλογισάμεθα, ὅτι πάντως ἀποθανούμεθα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκαμεν· τοῦτο ἡμῖν τὰ πράγματα ἀπεκρίνατο, ὅτι ἀπολούμεθα πάντως. Τίνος ἕνεκεν συνεχώρησε μέχρι τοσούτων κινδύνων ἐλθεῖν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός; Ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ἐγείροντι τοὺς νεκρούς. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἵνα μὴ μέγα φρονῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαιρώμεθα τοῖς κατορθώμασιν. Ὃ καὶ προϊὼν σαφέστερον λέγει, πάλιν οὕτω γράφων; ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἁρπαγὴν, τὴν εἰς παράδεισον εἴσοδον, τὴν τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ῥημάτων ἐκείνων κοινωνίαν, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι, ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκὶ, ἄγγελος Σατᾶν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ· τοὺς θλίβοντας ἐνταῦθα αἰνιττόμενος καὶ ἐπηρεάζοντας, καὶ εἰς δεσμωτήριον αὐτὸν ἐμβάλλοντας· τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστον Σατανᾶν καλεῖ. Συνεχωρήθην δὲ πειρασμοὺς, φησὶν, ὑπομένειν, ἵνα ἡ ἀπόνοιά μου καταστέλληται, καὶ μετριάζειν μάθω. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ παρακαλέσας τὸν Θεὸν, οὐκ ἔτυχον τῆς αἰτήσεως· ἀλλ' ἔμεινα διηνεκῶς ἐπιβουλευόμενος, φάρμακον ταπεινοφροσύνης τὴν θλίψιν ἔχων. Καὶ ὁ πρὸ τούτου δὲ βίος ὁ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς ἱκανὸς ἦν αὐτὸν σωφρονίσαι. Ὁ γὰρ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιήλου καθήμενος, ὁ κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου ζῶν, ὁ ζηλωτὴς τῶν πατρικῶν παραδόσεων, ὁ τοὺς προφήτας ἀνελίττων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ὁ τῷ νόμῳ συντραφεὶς, οὗτος παραγενόμενον τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ θαύματα ἐργαζόμενον, καὶ ταῦτα διαλεγόμενον, καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ Γραφῶν παρατιθέντα καὶ ἑρμηνεύοντα, οὐκ ἐδέξατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σταυρωθέντα καὶ ἀνα 63.468 στάντα ἐδίωκε, καὶ μυρίαις χερσὶ τὸν ἐκείνου μαθητὴν ἔβαλλε, καὶ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐπολέμει, καὶ λύκου παντὸς θηριωδέστερος ἦν· καὶ ἕως ὅτε φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἄνωθεν, καὶ φωνὴ ἠνέχθη πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτὸν ἕλκουσα, οἴκοθεν συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη τὸ δέον. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτὸς συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ταῦτα στρέφει, κάτω κύπτων καὶ ἐγκαλυπτόμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἤδη γεγενημένοις· καὶ Τιμοθέῳ δὲ γράφων ἔλεγε· Χάριν ἔχω τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί με Χριστῷ, ὅτι πιστόν με ἡγήσατο θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν, τὸν πρότερον ὄντα βλάσφημον καὶ διώκτην καὶ ὑβριστήν· ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ. Καὶ πάλιν, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται ὁ Θεὸς τὴν πᾶσαν μακροθυμίαν πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Καὶ Κορινθίοις δὲ γράφων ἔλεγεν· Ὃς οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, ὅτι ἐδίωξα τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν.

ςʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐγίνετο, καὶ ἠφίει αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς γυμνοὺς τῆς αὑτοῦ

χάριτος, ἵνα, ὅταν διδαχθῶσιν αὑτῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ πῶς οὐδὲν ἄνθρωπος ἀμοιρῶν τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς, ἐπὶ τὸν δικαστικὸν ἀναβάντες θρόνον, καὶ δημαγωγοὶ γενόμενοι καὶ ἄρχοντες, πολλὴν τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, πολλὴν τὴν συγκατάβασιν, πολλὴν τὴν συγγνώμην περὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους ἐπιδείκνυνται. ∆ιὸ καὶ γράφων ἔλεγε Γαλάταις· Ἀδελφοὶ, ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον, σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν, μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες τούς τε ἀφηνιῶντας ἕλκωμεν, τοῖς τε ἁμαρτάνουσι συγγνωμονικοὶ γινώμεθα, πολλήν τε τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπιδειξώμεθα μετὰ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμων· ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς συγγνώμης ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνομεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.