8

Were not these things entrusted to angels? So that you might have no excuse for being lazy, nor take refuge in the difference of nature while you are asleep; and besides, the miracle also became greater. For how is it not wonderful and paradoxical, for a word leaping forth from a tongue of clay to put death to flight, to loose sins, to correct a maimed nature, and to make the earth a heaven? For this reason I am astonished at the power of God, for these reasons I admire the zeal of Paul, that he received such great grace, that he prepared himself to be such. 2.10 And I exhort you not only to admire, but also to imitate this archetype of virtue; for thus we will be able to share in the same crowns with him. But if you marvel on hearing that, by accomplishing the same things, you will attain the same things, hear him saying these things: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Do you see how he calls all to the same communion? Since, therefore, the same things are set before all, let us all strive to become worthy of the promised goods; and let us not only see the greatness and bulk of the achievements, but also the intensity of the zeal through which he drew down such great grace, and the kinship of nature; for he shared in all the same things as we. And thus even the things exceedingly difficult to achieve will appear easy and light to us, and having toiled for this short time, we will continue wearing that ageless and immortal crown, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

3.t Encomium by the same on the holy apostle Paul, Discourse 3. 3.1 The blessed Paul, demonstrating the strength of human zeal, and that we are able to fly to heaven itself, leaving aside angels and archangels and the other powers, at one time commands us to become imitators of Christ through himself alone, saying: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ; at another time, even apart from himself, he leads them up to God himself, saying: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. Then, showing that nothing produces this imitation so much as living for the common good and looking to what is useful for all, he added: Walk in love. For this reason, after saying, "Be imitators of me," he immediately discourses about love, showing that this virtue above all makes one to be near God; since the other virtues are inferior to it, and all revolve around human concerns; such as the battle against desire, the war concerning the belly, the alignment against avarice, the struggle against anger; but to love, this is common to us and to God. For this reason Christ also said: Pray for those who persecute you, that you may be like your Father who is in heaven. 3.2 Paul, therefore, knowing this to be the chief of good things, demonstrated it with great exactness. For no one so loved his enemies, no one so benefited those who plotted against him, no one suffered so many things for those who had grieved him; for he did not look at the things he was suffering, but considered the commonality of nature, and the more they became like wild beasts, the more he pitied their madness. And as a father might be disposed toward a child possessed by a frenzy—for the more the sick one insults and kicks fiercely, the more he pities and weeps for him—so also he to the madness of the demons

8

οὐκ ἄγγελοι ταῦτα ἐνεχειρίσθησαν; Ἵνα μηδεμίαν ἀπολογίαν ἔχῃς ῥᾳθυμῶν, μηδὲ εἰς τὴν διαφορὰν τῆς φύσεως καταφεύγῃς καθεύδων· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τὸ θαῦμα μεῖζον ἐγίνετο. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ θαυμαστὸν καὶ παράδοξον, ἀπὸ γλώττης πηλίνης ἐκπηδῶντα λόγον, θάνατον φυγαδεύειν, ἁμαρτήματα λύειν, πεπηρωμένην διορθοῦν φύσιν, καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐργάζεσθαι οὐρανόν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκπλήττομαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, διὰ ταῦτα θαυμάζω τοῦ Παύλου τὴν προθυμίαν, ὅτι τοσαύτην ὑπεδέξατο χάριν, ὅτι τοιοῦτον παρεσκεύασεν ἑαυτόν. 2.10 Καὶ ὑμᾶς παρακαλῶ μὴ θαυμάζειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὸ ἀρχέτυπον τοῦτο τῆς ἀρετῆς· οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα τῶν αὐτῶν στεφάνων κοινωνῆσαι ἐκείνῳ. Εἰ δὲ θαυμάζεις ἀκούων ὅτι, τὰ αὐτὰ κατορθώσας, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτεύξῃ, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι Κύριος ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάντας εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν κοινωνίαν καλεῖ; Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἅπασι πρόκειται τὰ αὐτά, πάντες σπουδάσωμεν ἄξιοι γενέσθαι τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· καὶ μὴ μόνον τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸν ὄγκον τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἴδωμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τόνον τῆς προθυμίας, δι' ἧς τοσαύτην ἐπεσπάσατο χάριν, καὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως συγγενές· τῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡμῖν ἐκοινώνησεν ἁπάντων. Καὶ οὕτω καὶ τὰ σφόδρα δυσκατόρθωτα, ῥᾴδια ἡμῖν φανεῖται καὶ κοῦφα, καὶ τὸν βραχὺν τοῦτον καμόντες χρόνον, τὸν ἀγήρω καὶ ἀθάνατον ἐκεῖνον στέφανον φοροῦντες διατελέσομεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

3.t Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον Παῦλον λόγος γʹ 3.1 Ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης προθυμίας ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν ἰσχύν, καὶ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτὸν δυνάμεθα πτῆναι τὸν οὐρανόν, ἀφεὶς ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους καὶ τὰς ἄλλας δυνάμεις, ποτὲ μὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ μόνου μιμητὰς γενέσθαι κελεύει τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγων· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ· ποτὲ δὲ καὶ χωρὶς ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν αὐτοὺς ἀναβιβάζει τὸν Θεὸν λέγων· Γίνεσθε οὖν μιμηταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητά. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὡς οὐδὲν οὕτω ποιεῖ τὴν μίμησιν ταύτην, ὡς τὸ κοινωφελῶς ζῆν καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῷ παντὶ χρήσιμον ὁρᾶν, ἐπήγαγε· Περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπών· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, περὶ ἀγάπης εὐθέως διαλέγεται, δεικνὺς ὅτι αὕτη μάλιστα ἡ ἀρετὴ ἐγγὺς εἶναι ποιεῖ Θεοῦ· ὡς αἵ γε ἄλλαι ταύτης καταδεέστεραι, καὶ περὶ ἀνθρώπους πᾶσαι στρέφονται· οἷον ἡ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν μάχη, ὁ περὶ τὴν γαστέρα πόλεμος, ἡ πρὸς τὴν φιλαργυρίαν παράταξις, ἡ πρὸς τὸν θυμὸν πάλη· τὸ δὲ φιλεῖν, τοῦτο κοινὸν ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, ὅπως γένησθε ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. 3.2 Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος εἰδὼς κεφάλαιον ὂν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπεδείξατο τῆς ἀκριβείας. Οὐδεὶς γοῦν οὕτως ἐχθροὺς ἐφίλησεν, οὐδεὶς οὕτω τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύσαντας εὐηργέτησεν, οὐδεὶς τοσαῦτα ὑπὲρ τῶν λελυπηκότων ἔπαθεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς ἅπερ ἔπασχεν ἔβλεπεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς φύσεως ἐνενόει, καὶ ὅσῳ μᾶλλον ἐξεθηριοῦντο, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ἠλέει τὴν μανίαν. Καὶ ὡς ἄν τις διατεθείη πατὴρ περὶ παῖδα φρενίτιδι κατεχόμενον-ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ὑβρίζηται καὶ λακτίζῃ χαλεπῶς ὁ κάμνων, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐλεεῖ καὶ δακρύει-, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος τῇ τῶν δαιμόνων